Comments

1
Why isn't the NRA screaming for mental health reform right now? Seems like the perfect issue for them to take up right now to move blame from gun nuts to people who are just nuts.
2
Mandating that teachers are armed is dangerous, unbelievably dangerous really. I can't imagine a more terrifying image than a teacher open carrying a pistol on their hip while instructing in Mathematics. This would be the hallmark of totalitarian and militaristic society.

However, simply removing the federal mandate that removes firearms from school campuses would do more than enough.

As an advocate for firearms, I've never believed or said that everyone should be armed. However, if a person wants to accept the personal responsibility to be armed for self-protection and the protection of others, that person should. A person making a conscious choice (rather than a mandate) will be more compelled to seek proper training.

So, if a teacher makes a choice to be armed, they absolutely need to carry their weapon concealed. Open carry is always a method of showing and demonstrating authority and respect – when civilians practice open carry it can throw the concepts of “authority” on its head, but when it’s an actual authority (like a Teacher) it only reinforces their authority and inspires fear.

@Chris – I think the NRA is nothing but a shill for the Republicans. Hence, they can’t call for expanding welfare systems like medical care.
3
The NRA and especially the gun nuts ARE screaming for mental health reform right now. It's a distraction, since they don't really care about mental health and are largely the same people that talk about healthcare as being personal responsibility, rather than social responsibility.

Also, no teachers do not need guns.
4
Hell, if you wanna see stupid...

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/335…
5
And -if you don't feel like reading the national Review- the basic thesis there (from something calling itself 'Charlotte Allen') was that the whole thing at Sandy Hook would've been just fine if there'd been some Men there. Right? RIGHT?

Somebody ought to fire her. Actually, lots of people on the internet ought to demand that every day until she no longer has a public forum.
6
Oh god/s, soo much STUPID!!!
7
You don't see the whole truth in the news. The shooter at Clackamas town center stopped shooting and ran when he saw that a man had drawn his weapon on him and had him in his sights. It is very likely there would've been more deaths if he hadn't been there. I don't think we should arm the teachers, but well trained armed security almost certainly would've saved many lives.
8
Richardson's idiot bravado aside, his statement that 3 officals be trained in the use of firearms isn't too far off the mark. He does not call for all teachers to pack heat in the classroom at all times. Substitute the term "3 officials" with "DPSST trained and certified security" and, presto, you have a sensible solution.
9
Hey Sara Lee, not to question the Lars-sanctioned narrative there, but I'm pretty sure the Clackamas shooter was planning on dying there in the mall, so I'm not sure that seeing an armed person was really that much of a deterrent. I think his gun jamming had more to do with it.
10
There are extremely clear national studies that demonstrate that the existence of guns in a home or building dramatically increase the statistical risk of death by suicide or homicide in that building. Here's the link to the study: http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/160/…

So an armed teacher does not make a school safer- statistically, it creates a 5-fold increase in the chance that a student or teacher in that school will die by gunshot wound.

And the Clackamas potential vigilante did not use his gun because he "couldn't get a clear shot," so his presence was irrelevant to the number of deaths, and in fact had the potential to increase the number of deaths, which he himself pointed out. The shooter's gun jammed. The end.

The presence of a gun dramatically increases the risk of gun violence. Also the end. Kids learn codes, unlock drawers and get hold of firearms that are supposed to be "safely out of the way" all the time. It's MUCH more common for them to die by accidental gunfire from "playing" with a gun they found then by mass shooting. So it is not obvious that an armed teacher would have prevented those deaths, which occurred in a matter of seconds and it has been demonstrated in trustworthy non-partisan studies that the presence of a gun dramatically increases the chance that someone will die by gunfire in that space.
11
Um, no. Incredibly bad idea, and unlikely to prevent much of anything. I do think billyjaks suggestion has possible potential. Given this tragedy it seems this debate will be pushed by both sides, rather than thinking about the victims and their families
12
@Trisha – First, do you know what the word “vigilante” means? And, do you not value Nick Meli as a hero? He acted more appropriately than most police officers do, which speaks volumes towards how armed civilians perceive other civilians, especially when juxtaposed to how armed police officers perceive civilians – look up the Empire State Building shooting earlier this year. Do not have a doubt: the vast majority of police officers would have taken that shot, even if taking the shot endangered innocent people.

(@Zed) Second, the shooter’s gun jamming was not “the end” – the shooter either unjammed his AR15 or drew a second weapon – we know this because he shot himself. It’s just as likely that the shooter psychologically had reached his god-like personified axiom, and upon seeing another person threaten him, the shooter’s intoxicating thrill came to an end. To jump to the conclusion this Nick’s “presence was irrelevant” is very speculative, likely inaccurate, and only downplays the importance of physical safety being reinforced by civilians. To downplay Nick’s heroic actions because it doesn’t fit into your perceived narrative is insulting.

Third, while I can agree that males (& males exclusively) who possess guns are more likely to commit suicide with a weapon, there’s no way to jump to the conclusion that having a firearm makes everyone more unsafe, or increase danger 5-fold. Here’s a wakeup call to you: teachers and students carry guns on a daily basis in many schools throughout the United States. At my school, Westview in Beaverton, we had Asian gangsters carrying pistols on a daily basis, yet we did not have a mass shooting. I also personally know professors (more than one) at Portland State who carry concealed weapons. No one is made less safe just by introducing a weapon into the situation – it takes someone to manipulate that weapon for it to be dangerous.

Fourth, “The presence of a gun dramatically increases the risk of gun violence” Gun violence can only happen with the presence of a gun, it’s like saying car accidents only increase with cars – yet violence in general can happen with or without a gun. Keep in mind that the same day as the shooting in the United States, a person went on a stabbing spree in a China injuring nearly 20 children. You might claim that if this stabbing psycho had a gun those children would be dead, but I think it’s relatively easy to kill a person with a knife, and this psycho chose not to.

Fifth, I grew up around firearms and so did many of my friends. You can teach children to respect firearms in the same way you can teach a child not to touch a hot stove. I have been comfortable and respectful around guns all my life – meanwhile the kid who was never explained how a rifle worked was the one who pulled it out of the closet to show it off to me & friends. While this is just my anecdotal evidence, it’s very clear that firearms do not cause death in every household with children. Children can learn, just like adults do.

Sixth, do you honestly believe that teachers are just going to leave their firearms laying around unsecured, when they’re around a bunch of grade schoolers? Please, do not fantasize gun owners as irresponsible. If you look at the class of citizens who legally carry concealed, you’ll notice that they are THE MOST LAW ABIDING of any other class of citizens. This is why citizens with a CHL have a less than 1% revocation rate (nationwide), and the lowest rate of murder of any class of citizens (again, nationwide). Personally, I don’t speed on the road, I don’t even jaywalk – just about the only time I break the law is as a form of protest against the law I’m breaking. Otherwise, I go out of my on a daily basis to help people. So please, do not accuse CHL holders as reckless, or that we endanger other people by virtue of our presence. Demonstrably these stigmatisms you’re promoting are not accurate.
13
Who would be paying for all teachers to be armed? Tax payers; that's who! These people that are shouting for this; are the same assclowns that shout for small government and less government regulations. Fucking cockbagging hypocrites!

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