Pistol Packin' Teacher

 Pistol Packin’ Teacher

 

Tennessee lawmakers passed a law which allows teachers to carry concealed weapons during the day in school.  There was a shooting at a private school in Nashville that precipitated the call to allow teachers to carry weapons.  Twenty other states have enacted some version of the legislation that allows teachers to carry.

While the bill has the intent of making schools safer, many worry whether it actually will.

Parents of surviving students from the mass shooting demonstrated for tougher gun laws in Tennessee.  Protesters flooded the capital.  Legislators responded by expanding rather than limiting gun possession.  Even families in strongly conservative Tennessee have concerns about how the weapons will be stored and how will they be kept safe.   Under the terms of the legislation, teachers may carry the weapons on their person but keep them concealed.  The bill does require 40 hours of training and a background check.  Candidates would also have to provide fingerprints to state and federal authorities.  A requirement in Maryland for anyone wanting to teach in Maryland, not to carry a weapon.  

Families will NOT be notified if their child’s teacher has a concealed weapon.   Supporters of that provision in the bill say it preserves an element of surprise to any intruder.  Supporters also say that having staff carry weapons provides another level in a comprehensive security plan.

Opponents of the bill, say that school security officers should be providing that protection.  Educators are also opposed to the bill, saying they are educators not law enforcement. Others have questioned how 40 hours of training can be sufficient.  Teaching is already a fulltime tough job.  Many administrators don’t want teachers to carry additional burdens.  The Nashville school district has said it would not grant any permits.  Yet some parents are firmly behind the idea of a school being the first line of defense and believe that it will send the word that schools are not unprotected zones.   Some folks believe that teachers should be paid extra if they agree to carry.

Critics contend that teachers are untrained and 40 hours isn’t sufficient.  What if a teacher has to fire on his/her own student.  And a teacher armed with a handgun would be no match for an armed intruder with a high-powered rifle.

The continuing question is- are more guns in schools the answer to violence in schools?  Can’t our legislators do better?