It’s been a rough week for Americans.
Unfortunately, when a tragedy occurs (especially one that
involves children), we want to do something to prevent it from happening again.
Americans are fixers. This time is no different, but we have wrongly identified
the problem that needs to be solved. It doesn’t help that the media
sensationalizes the murderer, and it doesn’t help that we haven’t been focusing
on the victims, or on the mental health aspect of these instances.
All states have laws in place that make it unlawful for
certain individuals to acquire and possess guns. The laws in Connecticut, for
example, state that a person must be twenty-one years of age to possess a
handgun; that it is unlawful to possess a handgun by a person who has been
convicted of a felony; convicted as a delinquent of a serious juvenile offense
which includes illegal possession of a controlled substance, negligent homicide,
third degree assault, first degree reckless endangerment, second degree
unlawful restraint, rioting, or second degree stalking; discharged from custody
within the preceding 20 years after acquittal by reason of mental disease or
defect; confined by court order for mental illness within the preceding 12
months; subject to a restraining or protective order involving physical force;
or an illegal alien. It is unlawful to possess any other firearm by a person
who has been convicted of a felony.
Each state has comparable laws in place, but they do not
affect how criminals and bad guys obtain their weapons, and never will. Perhaps
those laws have to be harsher, but
punishing law-abiding citizens and preventing them from obtaining guns so that
they may defend themselves and loved ones is simply not the solution.
Instead of arguing about our country’s problems, debating
what they might be, and using the deaths of small innocent children to push
through restrictive laws, we should be focusing on finding a solution, both for
schools and other public areas.
Teachers have always had a challenging job. Not only do they
have to educate our children, but they are also responsible for keeping them
safe. Principals and superintendants have the most pressure and the most
children to watch over. One small town in Texas, Harrold, has found a solution.
Since it’s so small, the nearest sheriff’s office is thirty
minutes away, much too long if something evil happens. They don’t have the
money for a security guard either.
Instead, the school board voted to let teachers bring guns
to school. Their teachers aren’t just anyone. They have master’s degrees, are
older, have extensive training, and their guns are hidden. Normally, Texas law
bans guns in school unless the school has given written authorization. In 2007,
Harrold’s school board voted unanimously to allow employees to carry weapons.
After obtaining their state concealed-weapons permit, each employee who wants
to carry a weapon must be approved by the school board based on his or her
personality and reaction to a crisis. This is a strict standard, and it
continues. Employees must also undergo training in crisis intervention and
hostage situations and must use bullets that minimize the risk of ricochet
(similar to the ones used by air marshals on planes).
Harrold, Texas is not alone. Superintendant David Thweatt
stated that there are other Texas schools that allow teachers to carry weapons,
but would not reveal their locations due to negative publicity.
The Texas solution is a smart one. It allows the teachers
and administrators to protect their students and provides them with training so
that they may do so. Most parents would do anything to protect their children,
and want to be able to trust other adults to do the same. They want responsible
and trained individuals to be watchdogs for their little loved ones.
It is important for administrators and principals to be able
to protect their wards. Principals and vice-principals should be encouraged to
go a step further and either carry weapons (and undergo training) or persuade
interested teachers to do the same. Superintendants should be looking into
similar solutions for their districts.
Rep. Mark McCullough of Oklahoma is working on a bill that
would allow teachers and administrators to receive firearm training through the
Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training.
Richard Fairburn[1]
suggested another solution, which can complement the above policy. While there
simply aren’t sufficient policemen or military personnel to provide each school
system with an armed guard, there is a no-cost solution available: Minutemen,
defined as “an organization of citizens with limited military training who are
available for emergency service, usually for local defense.” According to
Fairburn, Minutemen must be exempted from every geographic restriction placed
on those who currently carry concealed weapons since virtually every mass
killing in recent history has occurred in a “gun-free zone.”
Fairburn lists three different categories of Minutemen: (1)
former law enforcement officers; (2) retired military personnel; and (3)
honest, armed citizens. This opens it up to hundreds of thousands of volunteers
who would selflessly give their time (and lives) to serve and protect our next
generation – and would do so at a moment’s notice.
These proposals will not deter opponents of the Second
Amendment or eliminate fear. People still have doubts that more armed people,
even trained ones, will equal more injuries and deaths. However, doubts can be
eliminated, or at least seriously reduced, with extensive training and
responsible guards.
It’s sad that it has come to this, and nothing is guaranteed,
but it’s better to be prepared and trained than it is to be ignorant and
fearful. Let’s protect our little ones and our public with more than just hopes
and wishes. Let’s teach them that we love them and care for their safety. Let’s
find and utilize reliable solutions first, so that we can then have breathing
room to address the real problems and not the guns.
[1] Richard Fairburn has more
than 30 years of law enforcement experience in both Illinois and Wyoming,
working patrol, investigations and administrative assignments. Richard has also
served as a Criminal Intelligence Analyst and as the Section Chief of a major
academy’s Firearms Training Unit and Critical Incident training program. He has
a B.S. in Law Enforcement Administration from Western Illinois University and
was the Valedictorian of his recruit class at the Illinois State Police
Academy. He has published more than 100 feature articles and two books: Police
Rifles and Building a Better Gunfighter.
