Spirit of Hope wrote:Solocon wrote:I'd be ok with guns in schools, as long as it's law enforcement officials who are carrying them. My school district has police officers from our town's local department stationed in all of its schools.
I've held the stance for years that if a teacher, or other school employee, is able and willing to get a concealed carry permit they should be allowed to carry on school. If they meet those qualifications they are incredibly unlikely to illegally use their gun, and provide a quick response at no cost to any potential situation that may require the use of force.
I disagree. Concealed carry permits don't provide the same level of training and education that the path to law enforcement does. Not only are the requirements to acquire one inconsistent among the states, but those with concealed-carry permits lack the additional experience and training that police officers have in defusing tense situations and dealing with actual threats. Teachers are not equivalent to the police; not even with a concealed-carry permit.
Furthermore, I highly doubt teachers would easily bring themselves to shoot at one of their students. Even if there was a threat in the building, they have to stay with and console their students; they wouldn't be able to actually go out and take down the assailant.
And of course, there is the problem of bringing guns into the classrooms themselves, where they could much more easily be stolen with malicious intent. A safe that can be observed by students, or, even worse, a firearm on the teacher's person, is not nearly as secure as a School Resource Officer room, which students must get permission to enter.