Small Texas school district lets teachers, staff pack pistol

[308Mike]

Linkarooni:

Small Texas school district lets teachers, staff pack pistols
By MARK AGEE
rmagee@star-telegram.com

When classes start Aug. 25 in the tiny Harrold school district, there will be one distinct difference from years prior: Some of the teachers may have guns.

To deter and protect against school shootings, trustees have altered district policy to allow employees to carry concealed weapons if they have a state permit and permission from the administration. The 110-student district lies 150 miles northwest of Fort Worth on the eastern end of Wilbarger County, near the Oklahoma border.

More...............

[BobTheWitch]

Praise be.

A school district that understands the difference between stopping behavior and forbidding behavior.

[First Shirt]

I sent the district superintendent an e-mail supporting their decision, and congratulating them on the outburst of common sense. This is what I got back:

Thank you for your supportive email. I have and will be sharing your thoughts with my staff and board of trustees. Your email was one of the many positive emails I have received—I’ve only received about three negatives out of about fifty. Please encourage others to stand up for the American values that have made the country great—taking responsibility for ourselves and protecting the lives of our innocents who are not able to defend themselves.

God Bless America, and God bless you for your thoughtfulness,

David Thweatt

Superintendent

Harrold ISD--Texas

If you'd like to let him know that you approve of, and support, their position, drop him a line at

david.thweatt@esc9.net

I'm sure they'd appreciate it.

[308Mike]

Outstanding, FirstShirt!

[Rod]

I wrote a letter also, haven't heard an answer but I don't really care. Just so he knows there are folks out in the world who agree with his sentiments. Nice reply you got firstshirt, the man has a lot of class.

[SeekHer]

Brought to your attention by: KNOW THY ENEMY™

E mail received today from Aunty Fifty’s Stupid Relatives – Firearm Fellows – those Gelded Gunners

*°-*°-*°-*°-*°-*°-*°-*°-*°°-*°-*°-*°-*°-*°-*°-*°-*°-*


Antis rile against decision...

Small Texas School District Lets Teachers, Staff Pack Pistols

Fear, coupled with a radical and irrational ideology, can help explain why a small Texas school district could allow teachers and staff to carry a loaded and hidden handgun into their classrooms.

The new and dangerous policy was rationalized as a "prevention" measure to deter a Virginia Tech type massacre or school shooting.

Spare us the ridiculous and trite talking points from the extremists in the gun lobby.

According to the Fort-Worth Star Telegram on Aug. 15th:

When classes start Aug. 25 in the tiny Harrold school district, there will be one distinct difference from years prior: Some of the teachers may have guns.

To deter and protect against school shootings, trustees have altered district policy to allow employees to carry concealed weapons if they have a state permit and permission from the administration. The 110-student district lies 150 miles northwest of Fort Worth on the eastern end of Wilbarger County, near the Oklahoma border.

More than a dozen state legislatures have considered making it legal to carry guns on college campuses, but experts and officials contacted by the Star-Telegram say the move is unheard of in elementary or secondary schools.

The move is unprecedented for a reason: the vast majority of teachers, security officials, and parents don't feel safer if teachers are packing a deadly handgun while giving a history lesson. The notion that children are safer around an adult armed with a concealed weapon is just a dangerous fantasy conceived by the most extremist of gun ideologues.

While some gun extremists think they are safer with a gun on their hip, they are, in fact, putting their students, colleagues, and staff at greater risk of an accidental shooting, an impulsive and horrific crime of passion, or a suicide.

The tragic scenarios are not hard to conceive. What if the armed teacher dropped his or her handgun and it discharged? Or left it unlocked in a drawer and a student found it and started playing with it?

The reality is that there are sensible solutions to protect students that don't include the potentially deadly idea of arming teachers.

Ken Trump, a Cleveland-based school security expert ... said he would have advised against allowing teachers to arm themselves, if only because of liability concerns. In the long run, it could have been cheaper and safer to hire security or off-duty police, he said. Texas school districts also have the option of forming their own police force, he noted.

"What are the rules for use of force?" Trump said. "Or how about weapons-retention training? Because they could go in to break up a fight in the cafeteria and lose their gun."

What repeatedly strikes us when gun proponents push their agenda to allow hidden and loaded handguns in schools, college campuses and other public areas, is that the gun lobby relies, not on evidence or common sense, but instead, a deeply flawed psychology that they "feel safer" with a gun.

The fact is, however, that carrying hidden guns puts gun owners and everyone around them at greater risk of gun violence.

Irrationality, fear, and radical ideology are no excuse for allowing the gun lobby to permit guns in out classrooms over our collective need to protect our schools and students from violence.

It's time common sense for the common good starting winning against the gun lobby's misguided agenda.

Guns will only bring chaos into America's classrooms.

[SeekHer]

Brought to your attention by: KNOW THY ENEMY™

E mail received today from Aunty Fifty’s Stupid Relatives – Firearm Fellows – those Gelded Gunners

*°-*°-*°-*°-*°-*°-*°-*°-*°°-*°-*°-*°-*°-*°-*°-*°-*°-*

Newest tirade:

Texas Gov. Rick Perry OK With Teachers, Staff Carrying Hidden and Loaded Guns At Schools — Time To Bring Back Stephen Colbert’s Take

Link to the Colbert Reports Video that I ca't access

After it was reported last week that the Harrold school district in Texas would allow teachers and staff to carry hidden and loaded guns inside its schools, Texas Governor Rick Perry has recklessly come out to say that he supports the idea.

This is hardly the first, nor the last time, these ludicrous ideas will surface.

In fact, GunGuys.com mocked Wisconsin State Rep. Frank Lasee when in Oct. 2006 he suggested on ABC News that we should be arming teachers in our schools.

GunGuys said of Mr. Lasee:

In fact, Frank Lasee's idea was so insane, that even his own cousin Alan Lasee-- the Senate president at the time -- called Frank's proposal insane but also dead on arrival.

Last fall, Lasee was quoted on ABC News about his crazy proposal: "I want to end the turkey shoots that go on in our schools.....it's part of the puzzle of making our schools a safer place for our children."

That's why we felt it necessary to bring back the hilarious and prescient Stephen Colbert and his take on arming teachers when Frank Lasee first suggested it.


Back to Gov. Perry's suck-up to the gun lobby, even if guns in our schools threaten the safety of our students.

According to the
Dallas Morning News on Aug. 18th:

AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry said Monday that he supported the Harrold school district policy to allow teachers and staff members to carry guns at school as long as they are adequately trained in gun safety.

"I'm pretty much a fan that if you've been trained and you are registered, then you should be able to carry a weapon. Matter of fact, there's a lot of instances that would have saved a lot of lives," Mr. Perry said.

The governor is a staunch advocate of right-to-carry provisions and has advocated allowing licensed gun owners to carry them into places where they can currently be banned, such as college campuses, churches, bars and private businesses.

"The issue with handguns is training and registration," Mr. Perry said, adding that those who complete the concealed weapons licensing program, which includes gun safety training, should be allowed to carry guns wherever they go.

Harrold is a small district near Wichita Falls that has about 110 students in its K-12 school. School trustees changed their policy last year to allow district employees to carry concealed guns on school property. School officials have cited the proximity of the school to a state highway and its 30-minute distance from the nearest sheriff's office as reasons for concern.

Thus far, Harrold is apparently the only school district in Texas that will allow its teachers to carry guns into their classrooms.

You can bet that the Harrold school district policy's will be the beginning of a "movement" by the gun lobby to "protect" our students by allowing teachers to carry a loaded gun on their hip while giving lessons.

This, of course, is yet another development in the gun lobby's sweeping and radical agenda to overwhelm local communities with their extremist ideology that hidden and loaded guns on college campuses, bars, government buildings, and now public schools, is a good idea. Besides the simple fact that arming teachers puts students at greater risk, overwhelming numbers of parents, teachers, and school administrators fundamentally reject the idea.

Texans for Gun Safety board member Linda Siemers said teachers or students carrying guns around school "is a terrifying idea."

"Schools are capable of providing a safe environment for teachers and children without either one carrying guns," Ms. Siemers said. "We must deal with our fear of crime in a more constructive manner."