Monkeyleg
Member.
In my 56 years on this earth, I don't recall any legislator of any repute advocating allowing teachers and school administrators to carry concealed weapons.
The debate on THR has been endless, which leads me to believe that such legislation will never be instituted, at least not in a state like Wisconsin.
But, of all of the throw-the-ideas-against-the-wall-and-see-if-they-stick proposals, Lassee's has drawn the most ridicule, both here in WI as well as nationwide.
And that, more than the debate itself, has me concerned. Why? Because, if we just jetison the idea that teachers cannot be entrusted to carry firearms, then we have negated the idea that any citizen can be trusted.
At any rate, here's another letter to the editor from someone who would like to keep guns out of schools:
On principle, principals shouldn't pack
By Thomas Biel
Posted: Oct. 18, 2006
State Rep. Frank Lasee's proposal to arm teachers with guns is a reckless solution and irrational reaction to the gun violence in schools that has again shocked our society.
To his credit, Lasee (R-Bellevue) has amended his proposal to have weapons kept in a secure location and available in an emergency to those who have been specially trained in firearms. Although not nearly as preposterous, keeping firearms in a school still violates something fundamental in education.
An armed school would betray its own goals. As a colleague of mine noted, it would make the schools seem a little closer to being the prison that many students already equate a school with.
Though it may not appear this way to students, education tries to liberate, not incarcerate. And keeping weapons locked up in a school admits to the compromise of that freedom. We're always compromising freedom, but why do it if it is unnecessary?
Lasee imagines the weapons could be used to stop an intruder or student who has for whatever reasons gone over the deep end and comes into a school with the intent to kill and do extreme harm. In a Hollywood movie, I could see the scenario: The mild-mannered principal unlocks the firearm cabinet, takes out the firearm and walks out to meet the killer head-on - high noon in the halls. But in reality?
What if the principal misses? The scenario that the gun could prevent a tragedy has to acknowledge that it is probably just as likely that it could cause tragedy. Should the day come when a teacher shoots a student, or the gun used to protect somehow becomes a murder weapon, education would take a giant step backward. That gunshot would crack a whole lot more than just a body.
Earning trust between teachers, students and the community is a constant challenge and a fragile thing that even a locked-up gun would shatter. Education in the democratic tradition teaches that human reason can overcome evil; we tend to believe that people at their core are good, and we have the capacity to work toward our society's ideals.
We are hopeful. We retain hope that we can do it through brain power, not gunpowder.
The proposed legislation reflects a deep problem in the way we react to violence in our society. We are saturated with guns and violence, and even if you're pro-gun, you can look around and see violence and weapons galore.
We have identified the gun with both national and personal protection. If you want to go looking for weapons of mass destruction, look in your own backyard. If you want a semiautomatic rifle, go online. We spew violence into our everyday casual conscience, whether on TV, video games, movies or an afternoon at Fun World in which our children can blow away a few hundred virtual terrorists.
I respect the legislator's concern for safety. I can respect the ends that he and like-minded gun advocates envision. But their means make no sense.
If anything, it is time for schools not to put guns in a closet but to come out of the closet for disarming our society.
Out of honor for our principals, one of whom lies dead in our own state, schools need to stay a step ahead of knee-jerk reaction and keep the nerves steady toward a less violent society. And gun proponents need to lower their guns and raise their sights a little higher.
Thomas Biel of Milwaukee is a high school English teacher for the Milwaukee Public Schools. His e-mail address is [email protected]
From the Oct. 19, 2006 editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The debate on THR has been endless, which leads me to believe that such legislation will never be instituted, at least not in a state like Wisconsin.
But, of all of the throw-the-ideas-against-the-wall-and-see-if-they-stick proposals, Lassee's has drawn the most ridicule, both here in WI as well as nationwide.
And that, more than the debate itself, has me concerned. Why? Because, if we just jetison the idea that teachers cannot be entrusted to carry firearms, then we have negated the idea that any citizen can be trusted.
At any rate, here's another letter to the editor from someone who would like to keep guns out of schools:
On principle, principals shouldn't pack
By Thomas Biel
Posted: Oct. 18, 2006
State Rep. Frank Lasee's proposal to arm teachers with guns is a reckless solution and irrational reaction to the gun violence in schools that has again shocked our society.
To his credit, Lasee (R-Bellevue) has amended his proposal to have weapons kept in a secure location and available in an emergency to those who have been specially trained in firearms. Although not nearly as preposterous, keeping firearms in a school still violates something fundamental in education.
An armed school would betray its own goals. As a colleague of mine noted, it would make the schools seem a little closer to being the prison that many students already equate a school with.
Though it may not appear this way to students, education tries to liberate, not incarcerate. And keeping weapons locked up in a school admits to the compromise of that freedom. We're always compromising freedom, but why do it if it is unnecessary?
Lasee imagines the weapons could be used to stop an intruder or student who has for whatever reasons gone over the deep end and comes into a school with the intent to kill and do extreme harm. In a Hollywood movie, I could see the scenario: The mild-mannered principal unlocks the firearm cabinet, takes out the firearm and walks out to meet the killer head-on - high noon in the halls. But in reality?
What if the principal misses? The scenario that the gun could prevent a tragedy has to acknowledge that it is probably just as likely that it could cause tragedy. Should the day come when a teacher shoots a student, or the gun used to protect somehow becomes a murder weapon, education would take a giant step backward. That gunshot would crack a whole lot more than just a body.
Earning trust between teachers, students and the community is a constant challenge and a fragile thing that even a locked-up gun would shatter. Education in the democratic tradition teaches that human reason can overcome evil; we tend to believe that people at their core are good, and we have the capacity to work toward our society's ideals.
We are hopeful. We retain hope that we can do it through brain power, not gunpowder.
The proposed legislation reflects a deep problem in the way we react to violence in our society. We are saturated with guns and violence, and even if you're pro-gun, you can look around and see violence and weapons galore.
We have identified the gun with both national and personal protection. If you want to go looking for weapons of mass destruction, look in your own backyard. If you want a semiautomatic rifle, go online. We spew violence into our everyday casual conscience, whether on TV, video games, movies or an afternoon at Fun World in which our children can blow away a few hundred virtual terrorists.
I respect the legislator's concern for safety. I can respect the ends that he and like-minded gun advocates envision. But their means make no sense.
If anything, it is time for schools not to put guns in a closet but to come out of the closet for disarming our society.
Out of honor for our principals, one of whom lies dead in our own state, schools need to stay a step ahead of knee-jerk reaction and keep the nerves steady toward a less violent society. And gun proponents need to lower their guns and raise their sights a little higher.
Thomas Biel of Milwaukee is a high school English teacher for the Milwaukee Public Schools. His e-mail address is [email protected]
From the Oct. 19, 2006 editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
