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Arm the Teachers?
Author: BobR
Date: 02/22/2018 19:20:53
Republicans and gun-lovers (certainly not mutually exclusive) have - once again - put forth the absurd notion that the solution to gun violence at our schools is to add more guns to the mix. To most people, the notion is absurd, but since they seem to be serious about it, let's have a quick rundown on why that is such a spectacularly bad solution. Disclaimer - these aren't necessarily all my original ideas - thanks social media!
Arming Teachers
Armed Guards
If more guns make us safer, than more atomic bombs around the world make nuclear war less likely, and more drunk drivers make car accidents less likely as well. Which is to say - they don't. Making weapons harder to get is the only proper solution to school (and every other type of) shootings.
Arming Teachers
- Teachers are wired to help students in crisis, not shoot them
- Teachers are not trained for live-fire scenarios. Even police and soldiers trained to handle these situations can freeze under fire.
- What if a teacher fires at school shooter and accidentally hits a child?... or a first-responder?
- Police responding to 911 call may mistake the teacher for the shooter. It's bad enough when a teacher is killed by a school shooter - being killed by the police would just add to the misery
- Does the teacher walk around with a gun strapped on? Is it kept locked in the teacher's desk? Carelessness, confusion in a rowdy classroom, and accidents are all that's needed for a tragedy.
Armed Guards
- Also proposed is to have armed guards, "retired military", etc. in the schools. At what point do schools begin to resemble prisons?
- How will these guards get paid? Teachers are already underpaid and still having to buy some school supplies out of their own pockets.
- The most recent mass school shooting was carried out by a young man who was in ROTC, which means he was being trained to do this work. A person with a long-range plan to do this could become a guard in training, and use that to get inside a school with a weapon.
- The "retired military" route also seems ripe for corrupt contracting. I can see Blackwater (or whatever their nom du jour is) already writing up proposals to milk the system.
If more guns make us safer, than more atomic bombs around the world make nuclear war less likely, and more drunk drivers make car accidents less likely as well. Which is to say - they don't. Making weapons harder to get is the only proper solution to school (and every other type of) shootings.
Comments:
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Comment by 
Raine on 02/22/2018 20:49:31
Raine on 02/22/2018 20:49:31
I am trying to find the source for the numbers but I have been reading that the NYPD has anywhere from an 18-34% rate at shooting a target -- and doesn't include shooting into a room full of children.
They are trained to do this for a living.
Also, you mentioned about paying for the guard.
I want to know who is going to pay for a teachers gun and if they can deduct that. Congress took school supply deductions away as it is.
They are trained to do this for a living.
Also, you mentioned about paying for the guard.
I want to know who is going to pay for a teachers gun and if they can deduct that. Congress took school supply deductions away as it is.
Comment by Raine on 02/22/2018 20:55:43
Raine on 02/22/2018 20:55:43
This is from 2007, and it falls right down the middle of the two numbers I am seeing.
New York City police statistics show that simply hitting a target, let alone hitting it in a specific spot, is a difficult challenge. In 2006, in cases where police officers intentionally fired a gun at a person, they discharged 364 bullets and hit their target 103 times, for a hit rate of 28.3 percent, according to the department’s Firearms Discharge Report. The police shot and killed 13 people last year.
Comment by 
Mondobubba on 02/22/2018 21:44:09
Mondobubba on 02/22/2018 21:44:09
I've been seeing this as well, but without the qualification that this was what actually happened in the field. That number makes a lot more sense. You can shoot all day at paper targets get all kinds of marksmanship awards. When you are in the real world it becomes a lot harder.
Comment by Mondobubba on 02/22/2018 21:49:40
I thought I had found something but I didn't.
Mondobubba on 02/22/2018 21:49:40
Quote by Raine:
This is from 2007, and it falls right down the middle of the two numbers I am seeing.New York City police statistics show that simply hitting a target, let alone hitting it in a specific spot, is a difficult challenge. In 2006, in cases where police officers intentionally fired a gun at a person, they discharged 364 bullets and hit their target 103 times, for a hit rate of 28.3 percent, according to the department’s Firearms Discharge Report. The police shot and killed 13 people last year.
I thought I had found something but I didn't.
Comment by 
TriSec on 02/23/2018 11:10:03
TriSec on 02/23/2018 11:10:03
This might be insightful....here are the qualifications for military shooting qualifications. This is from Basic Training, not any specialty school.
Of course, their job is actually to kill people in combat, so the rates are much higher than what any civilian could hope to attain. The article also goes on to note,
I'm in a public school every week working with the Boy Scouts. I have yet to observe a foxhole anywhere on the school grounds.
Army basic marksmanship training consists of three phases. Training to become a marksmen lasts approximately two to three weeks and ends with qualification testing where you must pass with a minimum score in order to proceed to graduation. Just passing the marksmanship training course will earn you an Army marksmanship badge.
You must hit 23 to 29 out of the 40 targets in order to earn the marksmanship qualification. (57%-72%)
If you do a little better (30 to 35), you qualify for the sharpshooter badge. (75%-87%)
To get an expert badge, you must hit 36 to 40 of the targets. (90% - 100%)
Of course, their job is actually to kill people in combat, so the rates are much higher than what any civilian could hope to attain. The article also goes on to note,
The foxhole position allows you to support your weapon on the solid ground. In my experience, foxhole is the most stable firing position. In order to qualify, you must hit at least 23 out of 40 pop-up targets at ranges varying from 5 meters to 300 meters (approximately 80 to 327 yards).
I'm in a public school every week working with the Boy Scouts. I have yet to observe a foxhole anywhere on the school grounds.