Originally Posted By: pyscodogJust caught the tail end of a article on Fox this morning and the question was has does a 1st Responder know the difference between an active shooter and a teacher if they both are armed? Maybe a moot point for some but I could see the confusion in a heated situation and bullets flying.
How do first responders tell the difference between a CCW and an active shooter outside of schools? It would be up to the teachers to identify themselves, just as it is for CCW's on the outside and the required training should cover the subject.
Originally Posted By: pyscodogAnother thought I had. Where does the teacher keep the firearm? In her purse, or in a drawer in the desk, or wear it on their side? How is the firearm secured to make sure a student doesn't have access to it?
This is another subject best covered in the training program. Personally, I am a bit concerned that firearm retention is not emphasized in more CCW training programs. Very important subject, especially in the proximity of youngsters, teachers would have to be ever vigilant as to where their firearm is.
Originally Posted By: pyscodogSorry but I'm just not sold on the idea that a teacher should have to be armed to do their job. I don't think anyone, other than law enforcement/military, should have to wear a firearm to work.
It is my understanding that 20 states have passed laws allowing their school teachers to be armed after receiving various training. It is also my understanding that there have been zero school shootings in any participating schools, which says something for such programs.
I don't have a clue as to other states' laws, but Texas law provides options for carry in K-12 schools, but it is left up to each school district to opt in or out of the program(s).
1) An institution may allow carrying however it would like to by issuing a written authorization or a written regulation. The institution may choose to require that those who carry attend a 16-hour course developed by DPS; this is known as the Guardian program.
2) Or, the institution may implement the School Marshal program, in which a few designated school employees attend an 80-hour training course and then are allowed to have handguns at the school. Marshals who interact with students regularly must store their handguns in a locked box. The School Marshal program also applies to junior colleges.
Under this plan, teachers who wish to participate may apply to their school district. I'm sure selection is made from those volunteers & no teachers should or would be required to participate.
I sure don't have all the answers, but based on the record established in the 20 various states that do provide for armed teachers w/proper training, I'd sure lean toward this as an option.
Various reports have mentioned contributing factors @ Uvalde, such as:
From the pictures of the Uvalde school, what little fencing present appeared to be about 4' high and most of the campus was unfenced.
It has also been mentioned that, while classroom doors were hardened and locked, officers had difficulty locating a key to enter the classrooms where shootings occurred. Perhaps indicating they had been locked from within after the shooter entered???? IDK.
Outer door was unlocked or propped open, as well.
Sounds as if some hardware was in place but maybe procedures not followed?? Another issue was outside windows were tinted, making it impossible for officers to see inside to assess situation.
At a minimum, IMO,
* All schools should have one entrance only.
* SRO should be present @ or near that entrance in every school
* Classroom doors should be locked when in session
* SOP's in place as to location of keys to said doors and outside doors should be secured at all times.
Quote:
Another School Shooting in a Place where teachers and staff were banned from carrying guns: Robb Elementary School in the Uvalde, Texas CISD
May 24, 2022 | Gun Free Zones, Original Research
CPRC original research gun free zones School Shootings
A shooting at a Texas elementary school left 14 children and one teacher murdered. While about 30% of school districts in Texas 2020 had armed teachers and staff, unfortunately, the Robb Elementary School in the Uvalde, Texas CISD doesn’t appear to be one of them. Their firearm regulations are detailed here. There are no provisions in their regulations for teachers or staff to carry.
The attack in Buffalo, New York illustrates once again how these murderers are attracted to places where the victims are not armed. For example, in his manifesto, he wrote: “areas where CCW are outlawed or prohibited may be good areas of attack.” More examples are available here and here.
Unfortunately, as we found in our 2019 study, despite 20 states allowing teachers or staff to carry guns, all the school shootings have occurred in schools that don’t allow them to carry. From the abstract of our study.
After the Columbine school shooting 20 years ago, one of the more significant changes in how we protect students has been the advance of legislation that allows teachers to carry guns at schools. There are two obvious questions: Does letting teachers carry create dangers? Might they deter attackers? Twenty states currently allow teachers and staff to carry guns to varying degrees on school property, so we don’t need to guess how the policy would work. There has yet to be a single case of someone being wounded or killed from a shooting, let alone a mass public shooting, between 6 AM and midnight at a school that lets teachers carry guns. Fears of teachers carrying guns in terms of such problems as students obtaining teachers guns have not occurred at all, and there was only one accidental discharge outside of school hours with no one was really harmed. While there have not been any problems at schools with armed teachers, the number of people killed at other schools has increased significantly – doubling between 2001 and 2008 versus 2009 and 2018.
John R. Lott, Jr., “Schools that Allow Teachers to Carry Guns are Extremely Safe: Data on the Rate of Shootings and Accidents in Schools that allow Teachers to Carry,” Social Science Research Network, May 29, 2019.
Research on this topic that we published in the Journal of Health Behavior Research is available here. Some information on universities is available here. A related piece that Dr. Lott wrote back in 2018 is available here.
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https://crimeresearch.org/2022/05/anothe...lde-texas-cisd/
Regards,
hm
