Are all teachers anti-gun?

[Wedge]

My wife is an elementary school teacher. She grew up in an anti-gun household. She never liked guns, and thought gun control was a good idea. Then she met me. She now realizes the problems with gun control and even sees the utility (not just the sport factor) of firearms. She still doesn't like guns, but it is more of a "I'm really not that interested in your hobby and you have no money to spend on toys" dislike than anything else. We are going shooting on Saturday with some friends and she has fun but gets bored with the activity after about an hour. I would put her at neutral to slightly pro-gun on some sort of political 'where do you stand' poll. I was very happy to hear when my wife came home and told me that they would be showing their classes Eddie Eagle. I feel that kids should definitely get some sort of safety training, especially when you know that many of the kids are not getting it at home. She pushed to make sure that the kids saw the tape and had the police officer come in and talk to them.

Now the rest of her teaching team...they are decidedly anti-gun. During dear season as my wife was explaining how she was going to be single for the next week one of the other teachers bragged how she doesn't have any guns in her house and never will. When I heard about that I asked my wife is that teacher would put a sign in her front lawn telling the world about that...we laughed.

Another part of her team had a pretty big fight with her fiance' before they got married because she absolutely refused to have any sort of guns in their house together. He conceded and they have no guns (and he has no spine).

The indoctrination of the children in the school is pretty pervasive as well. A police officer came in to talk about bike safety and one of her kids ran over to her to let her know that the cop had a gun, and guns weren't allowed in school. Another kid was working on a "What I want to be when I grow up" worksheet, and wanted to be a cop. When he drew a picture of being a cop, he at first drew a gun and then ON HIS OWN crossed out the picture of the holstered gun on the cop. My wife had nothing to do with it.

Now I know that a lot of people on this board have got to be educators. What is your experience with your colleagues? Any ideas why there would be a possible higher percentage of anti's in education than in other professions?

 

[Oleg Volk]

Where I teach, most people are gunnies or neutrals.

 

[boofus]

I had an American history professor that was a big civil war re-enactment fan. So there are a few that aren't completely brainwashed. Usually at universities where classes like military history, naval history etc... are offered.

The majority of teachers in public grade school don't know their head from their ass.

 

[Joe Demko]

I've taught since 1985 in both Pennsylvania and Texas. All of the teachers and administrators I ever worked with were either pro or neutral.

 

[Joe Demko]

The majority of teachers in public grade school don't know their head from their ass.

That's rather a sweeping statement. Do you have something factual you can cite to back up that opinion?

 

[dischord]

he at first drew a gun and then ON HIS OWN crossed out the picture of the holstered gun on the cop. My wife had nothing to do with it.

...stuck in his thumb and pulled out a plum and said, "What a good by am I!"

 

[Wedge]

Oleg said ,

Where I teach, most people are gunnies or neutrals.

Golgo 13 said,

I've taught since 1985 in both Pennsylvania and Texas. All of the teachers and administrators I ever worked with were either pro or neutral.

Both Oleg and Golgo 13 are located in slightly more gun friendly waters than I am, living in NY state. I think my perception may be a little skewed since I live in NY. However, I would have expected my wifes school to be a little different since it is in a pretty rural part of upstate.

p.s. Oleg your website helped my wife see how pointless gun control is. Thank you!

 

[geekWithA.45]

geeketteWithA9mm, my amazing and lovely bride, is an elementary school teacher, and most decidedly progun. (Hence the 9mm) Her colleagues run the gamut from "Cool! let's go shootin' " to aghast, with plenty of neutrals in between.

 

[eyz]

8 years 150 teachers at campus, some are openly pro but haven't run into one that's openly anti.

try life south of the mason-dixon

 

[Wedge]

try life south of the mason-dixon

I don't plan on staying in NY forever. Within a year I will be out of this beautiful but misguided state. I think the only thing I will miss are the massive whitetails we have (looking to move to Texas within the next year). My first deer, a doe, was heavier than I was after field dressing. I weigh like 210 with all my hunting clothes on and it was pretty tough to lift that deer up on the gambrel with a single pulley.

I guess my location is the reason that most of my wifes school is so anti. I am happy to hear the rest of the country isn't the same.

 

[hillbilly]

You are completely right.

ALL teachers are stupid anti-gunners.

Just like ALL gun owners are either racist rednecks or mass murderers just waiting to snap.

hillbilly

 

[Swamprabbit]

I know here in KY and southern IL, I have met many teachers who are decidedly pro-gun. Some are even on the local high-power circuit. There are a few antis but they don't live in an area where their views on that subject are very welcome.

I did hear the other day where, a couple years ago, the local elementary school had a "hat day" where kids were encouraged to wear some kind of hat to school. One kid showed up with one of those cheap fake coon-skin caps (this is KY, you know). His teacher is a rabid anti-hunter and actually made the kid sit out a recess because he advocated killing an animal for its skin . Thankfully, she is retired now.

 

[GEM]

It pretty much follows the demographics of the area. Gun culture states and counties have similar teacher values. IMHO.

Like cops.

I know plenty of hunting and CCW college professor types.

 

[Mulliga]

My Digital Logic teacher, Dr. Scwartz, signed his name to our Pistol and Rifle Club. While not necessarily a gunnie, it's heartening that he approved of the idea enough to put his signature on it.

 

[one45auto]

It depends on where you live, really. Teachers in Massachusetts, for instance, are more likely to lean toward the left (and hence the anti side) than those in, say, Texas or Georgia. There's also the issue of transplants, both liberal and conservative/libertarian, so no one can ever say for certain just what the attitudes of a school's staff will be. Still, overall I would have to agree with those who feel that the anti's or nuetrals would be more common. Why? Because the teacher's unions lean almost exclusively Democrat - and we all know where that party stands on the issue of firearms.

I've not yet had the opportunity to gauge my daughter's current educators opinions on gun ownership, but when she was in Elementary School I did have a few run-ins with the staff due to rampant liberal bias of one sort or another. Once, when my daughter chose Thomas Jefferson as one of the historical figures whom she felt had been a great man, the teacher commented that he wasn't a great man because he had owned slaves. Needless to say I was in the principal's office that same afternoon.

Another time a different teacher told the entire class that the United States Constitution was written solely for the benefit of "rich, white men." That incident prompted not only an immediate phone call, but also a letter to the principal which I also carbon copied to the local Board Of Education. (I'd already begun the letter due to the numerous pro-Clinton and anti-Bush remarks which two of her teachers were frequently making.)

I didn't have any problems after that, though thankfully that was her last year at that school. Whether they've reformed since then I cannot say, but I seriously doubt it.

 

[Knight]

When I was in school, I would say math, science, english teachers (except mabye 1 per subject) were anti's or neutral. Now all my shop teachers (wood,metal,auto) were all pro, same for my histroy/law teacher and my psychology teacher.

 

[Grayrider]

I am with Oleg. Our faculty in my district here in SW MO has many gun-owners/hunters amongst the male staff. Female staff views depend on their husbands and fathers, but lets face it that is the way most women are on the gun issue. My wife is a pro-gun teacher, but look who she is married to. It also really depends on the part of the country. Most of our faculty are Republicans, and that isn't the case in urban districts. The NEA is a tiny group on our campus with little power or support. We probably have more NRA members in the staff.



GR

 

[SteveS]

I am not sure about percentages, but I would guess that teaching probably includes a pretty broad cross-section of opinions. My wife teaches in an elem. school and has told me that, while there are a few antis, most are either pro or neutral. Granted, this is in a rural school district. You might get a different response in an urban district.

OTOH, the teacher's unions are openly anti. Occasionally, I glance at the magazine that comes from the NEA or the MEA and read about some "gun violence prevention program." My wife usually ignores any union material that comes to our house.

 

[Joe Demko]

Outside of local contract negotiations, I find that most teachers pay approximately zero attention to their union. I've tossed the NEA newsletter in the trash every quarter since 1985 w/o reading it.

 

[cordex]

When I was a senior in hochshule, I purchased my first AR lower in a bulk purchase an econ/compsci teacher's brother set up.

So how many here can claim that they've had a teacher sell them a gun in high school? (Note to Feds and bedwetters: Of course neither the receiver, nor the finished gun I later constructed on it ever came near school property. I paid said teacher for the reciever in school, but picked it up from an FFL.)

 

[Jeff White]

You can turn your deer permit in at the office for an excused absence at the high school my kids attended. the principal's office was full of hunting photos.

Jeff

 

[HBK]

Where I teach, I'm a minority. I left the NEA because it stands for pretty much everything I abhor and joined the Association of American Educators. They have better insurance coverage anyway. There are 3-4 other teachers and an assistant who are pro gun, one that's kind of neutral, and the rest are antis.

 

[Dain Bramage]

Golgo-13: I would say that funding for "head from ass" research is sparse on the ground, so you should probably take boofus' statement as pure opinion.

It would probably make a fine Far Side cartoon though, with one of Gary Larsen's lab-coated scientists checking off from a clipboard in the foreground. I'll leave the background to your imagination.

 

[Smoke]

Had a Science/Chemistry teacher in high school that is the local gunsmith (on-the-side) Used to sell knives to the kids out of his classroom.

Smoke

 

[GSB]

My mom was a teacher for 30 years in NJ. For much of that time, her car had an NRA sticker on the back window. Trust me, students noticed. Funny, but even though she had her share of psycho-case kids who should have been in a mental ward instead of a public high-school, none of them ever crossed the line from veiled threats. Always wondered if the sticker made an impression about what was in store for someone who decided to do more than throw the occasional egg on the night before Halloween.