Articles labeled: guns

What the hell? Is this really the road we’re going down in this country? First, a Michigan legislator wants to issue teachers conceal and carry permits, now a teacher in Oregon who already has a permit has gone to court for her right to bring her gun into the classroom:

The standoff between the teacher and the school district has grabbed the attention of both sides of the national gun debate.

After a student shot dead 32 people at Virginia Tech University in April, some pro-gun advocates have argued that teachers and perhaps students should be armed to prevent such tragedies in the future.

“The right to protect yourself is natural, God-given and should not be taken away,” said Kevin Starrett, executive director of the Oregon Firearms Federation, which is paying for the teacher’s legal bills.

“State law unequivocally allows her to do this,” he said.

I know creating mass hysteria over an isolated and rare incident is a great way to push your cause, but I don’t think having a bunch of Dirty Harry’s teaching our kids is a real wise way to deal with school safety.

Michigan State Representative Dave Agema (R-Grandville) has put forth a proposal that he says will help keep our children safe — issue teachers conceal and carry permits.

“What it does is protect kids and save lives,” Agema says.

Okemos Superintendent Cheryl Kreger says teachers packing heat is dangerous and sends a hypocritical message to students.

“I cannot see any argument for having guns in school,” Kreger says.

Ingham County undersheriff Allan Spyke agrees.

“When you bring a gun into the classroom, it’s a recipe for disaster. I’d rather have trained people there,” he says.

I’m pretty conservative when it comes to gun rights, and even I have to agree with the above. School shootings, while widely publicized, are still incredibly rare events and do not warrant arming teachers. Besides, I remember my twitchy junior high Current Events teacher that had to take a two month leave of absence because of a nervous breakdown — boy were we ever glad he didn’t have a .45 in his desk.