There are many hot button issues these days, but few compare to the subject of arming our teachers. I encourage honest dialogue about the threat our schools face.
If administrators and faculty truly have the best interest of their students in mind, why wouldn’t they address this subject?
Allow People to Choose
I don’t think the solution should be forced and I believe a better approach is removing the current restrictions and replacing them with policy at the school level. Allow the individual administrators to discuss the issue and decide the best course of action. However, I also believe part of the discussion needs to be about protecting life and the best manner to do so with the smallest financial impact.
Administrators are quick to denounce this plan, but fail to replace it with a suitable substitute. We already have laws prohibiting carry of firearms, armed resources officers at many schools and responding officers patrolling in the area.
Murder is Already Against the Law
Laws against homicide already exist, there are numerous laws regarding the negligent, accidental and intentional death of another human being. We stand tall as we look to the stars and admire how noble and civilized we are as a society because of these laws.
All too often, people are quick to pat themselves on the back without acknowledging the actual effects or realities. In this case, homicide is a serious crime. Most adults grew up in an era where they were taught right from wrong. How wrong it was to intentionally hurt, much less kill another human being. Yet, we still see incredibly high homicide rates for such a civilized nation. Why won’t administrators address this issue? The answer is simply that they can’t.
Evil Finds a Way
It’s true, an individual who’s committed to harming another will find a way to do so. Whether it’s a firearm, knife, vehicle or even a bomb, evil always finds a way. The current belief that we can regulate evil is as realistic as man being able to fly.
Once we can move past this issue, the next issue to address is laws prohibiting carrying of a firearm on school property. I’d like to see a case where an individual who was committed to carrying out a heinous crime, approached a school campus and realized he couldn’t because of “no firearms” sign. Where has that deterred crime?
Armed resources officers have seen a positive impact and I for one am glad to see them in our schools. One article I read denouncing the arming of teachers claimed that due to the size of a school campus, an armed teacher would most likely not be able to get to the scene quickly enough to make a difference. I suppose there could be some truth to this statement and if so, it would reduce the effectiveness of a SRO as well. Unless they developed teleportations capabilities, they’re bound by the same laws of physics as everyone else.
Pizza or Police, Who’s the Fastest?
Response time is another comment I hear thrown around as rebuttal to arming teachers. I agree that an armed response from a trained professional is preferred, but the time it takes to get that response could very well be too late.
Referring back to the SRO and having to cover the ground of a large campus, now add the time it takes for the call to be made, officer to be notified, time to travel and the size of the campus. Even the best response times will still be measured in minutes when a critical incident is happening in seconds. Eventually we circle back to arming teachers.
Free Market to the Rescue
Why is this such a terrible idea? Better yet, why would an American citizen be denied their inalienable right to defend themselves just because they occupy a physical location?
True, these events are incredibly stressful, unpredictable and quick, but is that enough justification to throw our arms up and say we can’t do it? I believe there are challenges; concealing everyday isn’t as easy as one may believe and training to be ready takes time and resources.
However, if an individual is willing to take it upon themselves to undergo training and invest in concealment equipment, why should we restrict them from carrying on a school campus? The idea that all hell will break loose because someone carried onto school property, reminds me of the initial argument for the original concealment laws. How so many were crying that it would be bedlam and mayhem with blood running down the streets.
The only blood I see running, runs down the hands of those who willingly deny the most basic of freedoms. The freedom to protect oneself and others.
Editor-in-Chief’s Note: Jeff Gonzales was a decorated and respected US Navy SEAL, serving as an operator and trainer who participated in numerous combat operations throughout the world. He now uses his modern warfare expertise as President of Trident Concepts, LLC., a battle proven company specializing in weapons, tactics and techniques to meet the evolving threat. Bringing the same high-intensity mindset, operational success and lessons learned from NSW to their training programs, TRICON has been recognized as an industry leader by various federal, state and local units. Organizations interested in training with TRICON can call 928-925-7038 or visit tridentconcepts.com for more info.