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There are many stereotypes about my home state, Texas. Many people think we’re a bunch of gun-toting hicks who ride horses to work (most of us don’t even own horses). As a Texan, I do my best to dispel those stereotypes. Unfortunately, stories like this don’t help that effort whatsoever.
As a Texan, I do my best to dispel those stereotypes.The community of Harrold, Texas, is in the middle of nowhere – even by Texas standards – and as in many remote Texas communities, police protection isn’t exactly next door. David Thweatt, superintendent of the Harrold Independent School District, is concerned about how to handle a shooting or similar emergency: his 110-student, single-school jurisdiction is 30 minutes away from the nearest sheriff's department.
"When the federal government started making schools gun-free zones, that’s when all of these shootings started," Thweatt is quoted as saying by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "Why would you put it out there that a group of people can’t defend themselves? That’s like saying 'sic ’em ' to a dog." Unfortunately, stories like this don’t help that effort whatsoever.School district trustees approved a policy change last year that will allow teachers with “…a Texas concealed handgun license, authorization by the district to carry the weapon, training in crisis management and hostile situations, and ammunition designed to minimize the risk of ricochet…” to carry guns on school grounds. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram also reports that Texas Gov. Rick Perry does not have an issue with the decision and quotes him as saying, “There's a lot of incidents where that would have saved a number of lives.”
I admit I’m not really sure where I stand on gun control. I have never owned a gun (aside from a BB gun) and don’t like shooting them. Quite frankly, they frighten me. But I understand why people want to own guns for self-protection, and I also see why it is tempting for concerned parents and school administrators to allow teachers to carry guns onto school grounds. Handling a firearm in a bystander-filled, hostile situation is not a task to be taken lightlyBut in the end, I think it is a bad idea for teachers to carry guns. If a problem breaks out at a school, how can we guarantee that the teachers carrying firearms understand how to handle them in such a situation? Will their required training in “crisis management and hostile situations” be sufficient enough to ensure they can handle firearms safely?
Handling a firearm in a bystander-filled, hostile situation is not a task to be taken lightly. While I recognize that the Harrold district trustees are implementing several steps to make sure authorized teachers are properly certified, that does not mean the teachers are trained to handle the kind of situations they are being armed to face.
Guns can offer protection, but they don’t offer safety. Arming teachers may give the illusion of safety, but after all, any bullet that leaves that barrel is going to end up being unsafe for somebody.
[Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram2]
Branden Hart, a TheSequitur.com assistant managing editor, works as an editor in San Antonio.
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