Guns for teachers?
Rich Hailey, Special to the News Sentinel
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Gun discussion on Schoolmatters
The sounds of students going about their usual routine, laughing in the halls and learning in the classrooms, were punctuated by the sounds of gunfire as Luke Woodham entered the school and killed two students on Oct. 1, 1997, in Pearl, Miss. Principal Roy Balentine saw Woodham with the rifle, and, rather than confronting him, ran to his office to call the police. As he waited for them, seven more students were shot.
Woodham had a very simple plan. He would continue to shoot students with his single-shot rifle until he heard sirens, then he would get in his car and drive to the junior high and continue his assault. Fortunately, he didn't get that chance. Assistant Principal Joel Myrick ran out to his car where he kept a .45 pistol in his trunk. He retrieved the gun and confronted Woodham, holding him at gunpoint until the police arrived.
In a 2004 survey by The National Organization of School Resource Officers, 35 percent of polled resource officers said violent incidents had increased over the last two years, and 78 percent reported taking weapons away from students. In an average year, there are almost 127,500 violent crimes committed by students against teachers, and more than one-third of all teachers have considered leaving the profession because of student behavior, cites the 2007 Annual Report on School Safety by the Department of Education and Department of Justice.
Currently, under state law 39-17-1309, teachers are not allowed to carry guns at school. Police officers, military members and security guards can carry them as long as they are doing so for their job duties and meet all state requirements to carry a gun. Should we rethink this law - allow teachers who have a carry permit to carry a weapon while on school property?
The question was first raised locally on schoolmatters.knoxnews.com by member LissaKay, who wrote "Geography will not turn a responsible citizen with a carry permit into a crazed murderer. And the kids knowing that there might be someone there that can and will shoot back at them should they get a notion to go all Columbine, would most likely give up that notion pretty quickly."
The idea is not unprecedented. Trustees in the Harrold Independent School District in Texas approved a policy allowing teachers in the district to carry firearms on school and similar legislation was proposed in Nevada , Arizona and Wisconsin. Fifth District Knox County Board of Education Vice Chair Karen Carson does not believe this is the right answer. "My gut reaction would be that I am adamantly opposed to it. My concern is that it may set up somebody else getting a gun, leading to a major trauma."
She added that she didn't think the people of her district would go for the idea either. "As a mom and a nurse, that's just not the answer," she said. "We need to build a relationship with the students." Ninth District School Board representative Robert Bratton agrees. "It's a bad idea. I don't think our schools are that dangerous. If we were having massive amounts of shootings in our schools, it might be different."
Bratton went on to say that while other areas of the country may have enough problems to warrant teachers to carry guns, he thinks having armed school resource officers and possibly metal detectors and other proactive measures would be enough to ensure student and teacher safety.
Knoxville mother Debi Haney feels differently. "I believe teachers who have permits to carry concealed weapons should be permitted to carry them on school grounds, provided there is no history of mental health issues. As I understand it, national statistics show those who have permits are extremely law-abiding citizens and understand the nature and danger of firearms."
The News Sentinel lists 19 gun-related incidents in area schools since 1999, not including the recent shooting at Central High. Jamar Siler is accused of walking into Knoxville's Central High cafeteria and shooting Ryan McDonald in the chest at close range in August 2008.
