Teachers are not Pansies!

The outrage from the increasing number of mass shootings at our schools is growing.  Predictably.  And necessarily.

I grew up in the Midwest.  Everybody had guns.  And nobody used them...on people.  But everybody was considered armed and dangerous.  And crime was nonexistent.

There's nothing, NOTHING that will keep a prospective Bad Guy from doing bad things more than knowing his intended victim could be armed, and ready to blow him out of his shoes.

And so it is with schools.  And shopping malls.  And train stations.  Etc., etc., etc.  In short, every time you see a sign proclaiming "Gun Free Zone," undoubtedly placed there by some well-meaning but misguided leftist, you know there could be a mass killer just licking his lips in preparation for the Big Day.  That's because they know they won't meet armed resistance when they carry out their murderous rampage.

But then we have another school shooting.  And another.  This sort of thing DID NOT happen when I was growing up.  It seems to be a manifestation of some greater hidden problem we've yet to uncover.  Single-parent, latchkey households, maybe.  Or Ritalin abuse.  Or bullying, harassment, or shaming on social media.  Or maybe mental instability.  Or perhaps we can blame copycat killings.  But in the meantime, we must employ new and more vigorous efforts to protect our kids from violent killers.

One of those efforts, suggested immediately after the Parkland, Florida shooting, was to arm teachers.  The theory goes that even a few armed teachers and staff, two or three or four, perhaps, whose identity was kept secret, could serve as a yuuuuuge deterrent against would-be killers.  I coined a phrase a few years back which is still appropriate today:  

"If only 5% of the ducks were armed, do you think anyone would go duck hunting?"

So, one of the things we could do to quickly stem this scary trend is to put the word out that prospective Bad Guys should enter school campuses at their own risk, for a change.  And arming trained, capable, stable and willing teachers could be an answer.

But wait!  The Lap Dog Media, blow-dried cable channel talking heads, politicians on the hunt for more contributions and Coastal Bubblers who get the vapors at the mere thought of a gun, went bonkers!  Teachers?  Pullleeeeezze! Teachers aren't soldiers, or cops, or security guards, they say!  They're teeeeechers!  They teeeech!  They're made out of spun sugar and doily lace.  They don't  shoot people!  And, according to their detractors, they're lilly-livered pansies who couldn't be trusted with a gun!  They might accidentally shoot themselves, or, perish the thought, one of our precious kids!  Noooooo!

Could it be that those who are clamoring the loudest against this possibility are signaling their own inadequacies?

Well, my friends, three-quarters of this Great Country is not next to an Ocean, where far too many folks grow up thinking that beef comes shrink-wrapped in plastic and then sold at your local Albertson's.  It is filled to the brim with tough, capable, sturdy, red-blooded grown-ups, and a large percentage like to hunt and fish and target shoot.  And maintain weapons at home for self-defense.  And these teachers, some small percentage, perhaps, would be anxious to undergo the necessary training to become certified to carry a concealed weapon inside designated schools.  And to then let the word out that THEIR kids are safe!  

"Hardening" schools against potential killers is necessary.  The NRA's "School Safe" program is the very best for this, and is absolutely free.  Limiting the points of ingress to schools is as well.  Staggered start and end times could make it possible to utilize only one entry/exit door.  Using metal detectors and School Resource Officers to check all bags and backpacks is also a requirement.  A sad reality, but necessary.  Asking retired military and police personnel to assist, perhaps for a tax break, is desirable.  But the one, quick, simple, immediate and effective thing we could - and should - do is make available training to teachers who are ready, willing and able to step up and carry concealed.  

If so, "Gun Free Zones" would turn into, "Warning:  School Personnel are Armed and Prepared to Defend Our Students."

"If only five percent of the ducks..."