Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Should we arm teachers?

At Sunday's memorial service for the Newtown, Connecticut gunshot victims, President Barack Obama called for legal action. He mentioned that four times during his presidency, he's had to deal with mass murder. (Tucson, Fort Hood, Aurora and now Newtown) But what action? We know that Obama has always supported the assault weapons ban now defunct. Will that stop these mass killings with guns?

Gun supporters say no. In fact, they are saying arm the teachers. Former Republican presidential candidate and governor of Texas, and mental giant, Rick Perry, also supports the idea of letting teachers carry firearms. Finally, a gun rights supporter has come out from beneath the rock to speak. Larry Pratt of Gun Owners of America wrote in the USA Today and on Hardball with Chris Matthews (video below) lays the blame on Connecticut legislators for refusing to allow teachers to carry guns.

First, let me address the whole guns are a check on oppressive government idea. At its core, these Second Amendment remedies as Sharon Angle would put it, are about revolution. If government should become so oppressive then there might be a need to revolt. While I'm sympathetic to the idea, I'm not pursuaded by the right-wing on it, since they only support freedom when it comes to guns and taxes. Conservatives would have a better argument if they supported all the Bill of Rights, and I'm talking about the First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments. How many conservative Republicans are members of the ACLU? Regardless the better way to ensure our freedoms is for conservatives to support personal liberties the way the ACLU does. That might mean they support groups like the ACLU and appointment of libertarian judges. But it's fat chance since conservatives definiition of freedom extends mostly to guns and taxes. We don't need assault rifles to preserve our liberty. One more thing, you right-wingers, Obamacare is not something worth armed rebellion.

But back to the question. Should we arm teachers? Initially, I laughed at the idea. The solution of mass murder is more guns? But I come off hypocritical when I say the solution should be an assault weapons and high magazine ban. Yes, that would save some lives. But the root cause of stopping the killer in the first place would not be solved. But looking at it objectively, if a teacher was armed, when a deranged killer came into the school, there would be a greater chance to save even more lives. Shoot the killer, stop him from killing the children.

But shouldn't there be a compromise here? After all that's what voters want from our politicians. So here is my solution to try to stop more mass killings. Allow teachers to carry handguns. They must be trained and it is not, I repeat not mandatory. Allow more areas to carry concealed weapons. Sorry, liberals but this is a compromise. Here is what the liberals get. Ban assault rifles and extended magazines. Hunters don't need these weapons. Improve the mental health system. IF we have to socialize then so be it. No mentally ill person no matter how sick should be without medication or treatment.

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1 comment:

Phil said...

Arming teachers is a bad idea. When police, fire, and EMT's head off to training they get weeks of simulations of the horrors they will have to deal with on the job, to evaluate how they will perform under pressure. Most wash out. The folks suggesting this need some justification that their armed members are performing some good for society, so tossing out 'arm the teachers', is self serving, and an insult to first responders everywhere - it take more them giving them a badge and gun to earn the title.