NRA released their recommendations on school safety this week.
Had they simply said schools should have the option of hiring armed guards/police it there would not have been an issue. Many schools and colleges do have armed security so it’s not a big deal. They could have said so-called gun free school zones should be abolished. Much like drug free school zones they’re feel good nonsense that do nothing to enhance student safety and a rational argument can be made against them.
Unfortunately NRA went another direction with their report:
“… One “model training program” would include a background check for school staffers who want to carry a firearm as well as 40-60 hours in training, former representative Asa Hutchinson, director of the project, said during a press conference at the National Press Club. While the NRA initially advocated for former police officers to volunteer to guard schools, Hutchinson said the NRA’s research caused the group to back off that approach. “In terms of volunteers, my impression of school superintendents is they would have great reluctance and so it’s not the best solution,” Hutchinson said. “That’s why we have shifted to school staff, trained school staff, that’s designated by the superintendent of the school board.” …”
NRA is often unfairly accused of being tone deaf by opponents. This is not one of those times.
This is an astoundingly stupid idea. How anyone could think they could sell this idea to the general public is beyond me.
I thought the NRA’s initial press conference was a disaster. I’ve also been real reluctant to say armed teachers with concealed carry is the best solution, and don’t offer it in most social situations. However, I’ve been real surprised by the amount of liberals who offer and promote the idea in social situations. That’s why I’m not totally convinced that the NRA is being tone deaf about this.
You have to admit that knowing there are people carrying, and not knowing who they are is a hellofa deterrent.
This is one reason why we are having such an uphill fight for the retention of our rights. Because the NRA is making us all look like complete idiots on this front.
Thanks for this blog, I watch it every day in hopes that you’ll publish news that we are all no longer felons here in NY state.
That press conference they gave last December was the worst presser in the history of media. This is a close 2nd. There is absolutely no way anyone is going to sell the idea that school staff (not private security/police) take up to 60 hours of gun/SHTF training.
I’m confused. Why is this tone deaf? This is exactly the model they need to be proposing. This is exactly like the laws that states such as Indiana are passing.
Teachers commit crimes at less of a rate than the general population. I know a bunch of teachers and staff who would carry. Let us protect the kids.
There may be advantages in both concepts. Police training gives them a leg up. School staff familiarity with the building, people and policies gives them an advantage. The important thing is that there is security in whatever combinations are practical for that particular location.
“This is one reason why we are having such an uphill fight for the retention of our rights.”
I think the two biggest reasons are a lack of real coordination of the grassroots and a lack of a consistent message. The 2A Rights orgs need to be pumping out marketing materials for the rest of us to spread. More aggressively pushing videos that viewers are instructed to “click and spread”, would be a small but useful thing. Simple fliers that could be downloaded, printed on our own printers and then distributed to local retail outlets would be another. A website that compiles the news stories along with the editorial contact information so readers can submit comments is another.
I belong to all the National, our state and my county orgs and get a lot of pitches for money, which is critical, but almost nothing else. It stuns me how little “here’s this, now pass it on” correspondence I get from the 2A orgs. It also stuns me that the local gun shops have nothing posted about the SAFE Act. They bitch about it, but say nothing about the lawsuit or how to contribute to it. Seems the gun shops would be critical in organizing a grassroots effort.
It will be hard to win in the real courts if we fail in the court of public opinion.
Sorry for the hijack and the rant.
Back to the original post point, does anyone have a better idea than letting teachers carry?
It’s OK if you don’t agree with me but here’s what I think:
In our day to day walk in society, we do not know who legally “carries” and who does not. I don’t know of many people who have even brought out concern about that. Those of us who Do carry legally in New York, do so “concealed” so very few people know.
We don’t go around pulling out our pistolas and shooting people who piss us off. We are responsible people and have other ways of dealing with situations. Many of us carry concealed for protection in really dire situations where life and property – ours or someone else’s is at stake.
Now why wouldn’t certain level-headed school personnel with training and common sense be allowed to CC for our children’s protection? They are the logical first defense. I just hate to think of them cowering over our children to protect them like at Sandy Hook without a weapon to protect any of them.
An every school administrator should have a key to a locked gun safe with a riot gun, a semi auto rifle and a pistol with more than 7 rounds in the magazine.
Nobody should have just an open hand to protect people with if they would have been willingly, and responsibly carrying a weapon.