NRA Calls For Armed Guards In Schools And Teachers To Get Concealed Weapons Training Following The Tragedy At Sandy Hook

"The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is with a good guy with a gun."

This is the simple but loaded comment by the main man over at the NRA that has put himself and his company under some serious criticism lately. While the logic may seem sound on the outside and a debatable appropriate response, this raises more questions than answers. Some schools already have armed guards that try to keep the peace and maybe students, teachers and parents who see them, feel safer.  However, guards are a minor consideration for would-be assailants, not necessarily a good prevention measure. The idea is to keep gun-free zones like schools, theaters and churches gun free and that seems to include even the 'good guy' with the gun. Here's a comment from New Jersey's governor...

In general I don't think that the solution to safety in schools is putting an armed guard because for it to be really effective in my view, from a law enforcement perspective, you have to have an armed guard at every classroom,' he said. 'Because if you just have an armed guard at the front door then what if this guy had gone around to the side door? There's many doors in and out of schools.'

Even more chilling than the thought of more guards in schools, which we can possibly get used to, is the thought of teachers and principals carrying concealed weapons during the school day.  It seems like extreme overkill.

Gun-rights advocates say teachers can act more quickly than law enforcement in the critical first few minutes to protect children from the kind of shooting that left 20 children and six adults dead December 14th at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

Once again, probably true but there's gotta be a better solution than putting guns easily within the reach of troubled students who can overpower a teacher. I can't get visions of whizzing bullets finding unintended marks out of my head. Besides, more than just weapons training would be necessary to be truly effective, maybe even martial arts, and most importantly negotiation techniques. But teachers in Utah like the idea...

The Utah Shooting Sports Council has said they usually gather around a dozen teachers each year for training to carry concealed weapons but this year demand skyrocketed after the tuition was offered for free.

Pilots carry weapons in the cockpit since 9/11 but my guess is tragedies like that aren't happening over and over due to the presence of pistols on airplanes and I doubt more guns in school will discourage would-be attackers. These kids are troubled and pre-meditate their attack, so instead of more guns, let's maybe look to more effective counseling and teachers and parents teaming up to spot the warning signs instead of thinking a kid won't do the unthinkable, because given the right recipe, they will.

[Mail Online]