Rocks vs. guns...

[george burns]

The kids won't know what to do with the rocks since they're not yet bluetooth enabled.

They never were taught how to throw anything either, since sports aren't a big part of these kids interests. The boys throw like girls. Besides what kid is going to stand there and throw a rock while someone is shooting at them, that's a sure way to get killed.

 

[jamesjames]

It is funny and ironic that in a gun-free zone we'd be talking about deterrence, armed resistance, and allowing alternatives to firearms. As a work-around, it at least embraces concepts of self-reliance, personal responsibility, and having some kind of designated and approved armament in the classroom.

Somewhat better than throwing water bottles and textbooks.

 

[FL-NC]

So, stone age technology (no pun intended) against modern technology (the repeating rifle). Our ancestors millions of years ago moved up from chucking rocks at enemies and game as soon as inventions like bows, spears, slings, etc. were invented.

 

[tark]

I also kept two cans of hornet spray

Now THERE is an excellent solution. Simple, cheap, available everywhere, 25' range, requires no training. Nasty stuff. His someone in the eyes with that stuff and and they are down as surely as if you shot them in the head.

 

[Stevie-Ray]

Absolutely. It's a marbleous concept, and should not be taken for granite.
That’s not very gneiss. You shouldn’t joke about schist like that..

Wow, what common corn!

 

[RedlegRick]

A slingshot with a steel ball could inflict some pain but highly unlikely to disable or kill an attacker

I don't know, I got hit with a teeny-bouncer launched by one and it pretty much stopped me in my tracks. Of course I was ten then, but it still hurt. A wrist rocket with a lead ball could be fatal. Still a dumb idea considering, but better than nothing, I suppose.

 

[Danoobie]

Sooo, the bucket is where, exactly, in the classroom ? Let's push the cart downhill here, the shooter walks into the class, with a gun blazing.
Say two students close enough to the bucket don't panic, and start throwing rocks, right away. Then about half the class, for sake of argument, stays cool, and starts converging on the bucket. The shooter knows about the bucket, of course, lets hope he didn't sabotage the bucket earlier with glue, or acid.
So he's shooting students who run for the bucket, first. Just an observation.

 

[PabloJ]

http://abcnews.go.com/US/students-armed-stones-ditch-plan-ward-off-school/story?id=53961564

Pennsylvania school district supplies each class room with a bucket of rocks as a last ditch defense against a school shooter The District Superintendent says "If someone can provide a better last-ditch response to an armed intruder that's trying to gain access to a classroom, then I would be open to any idea."

Ummm, arm teachers?

Does this make rocks assault weapons?
Do the buckets hold more than ten rocks?

Based on confrontations between rock throwers and rifle shooters at contry located in Palestine the rock throwers were the big loosers.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/students-armed-stones-ditch-plan-ward-off-school/story?id=53961564

Pennsylvania school district supplies each class room with a bucket of rocks as a last ditch defense against a school shooter The District Superintendent says "If someone can provide a better last-ditch response to an armed intruder that's trying to gain access to a classroom, then I would be open to any idea."

Ummm, arm teachers?

Does this make rocks assault weapons?
Do the buckets hold more than ten rocks?

Rocks against guns? No, institute sale fee on each firearm sold/ammo sale and use the money to provide for professional armed security at our schools.

 

[Fine Figure of a Man]

Rocks against guns? No, institute sale fee on each firearm sold/ammo sale and use the money to provide for professional armed security at our schools.

Seriously?
More taxes is your answer?
That's called gun control in my book.

 

[Demi-human]

Nails can cause flat tires. Tax nails to help pay for tire repair? No.
There is too much weight at the top of a school system. One of those can go to make room for three security personnel.

 

[Hasaf]

Now THERE is an excellent solution. Simple, cheap, available everywhere, 25' range, requires no training. Nasty stuff. His someone in the eyes with that stuff and and they are down as surely as if you shot them in the head.

As a teacher, I like the hornet spray idea, as stated, it is better than nothing and is legal (but not legal to keep as a weapon. . . I was just taking it home and kept forgetting it. . . ).

Sooo, the bucket is where, exactly, in the classroom ? Let's push the cart downhill here, the shooter walks into the class, with a gun blazing.

Okay, let's be real, in that scenario, previously unknown shooter kicks you classroom door open and immediately starts shooting, nothing, and I mean nothing is going to work, not the armed teacher, not even the SWAT team member posted to your classroom (because after 15 years of standing in your classroom, after replacing the last guy who stood into your classroom for 25 years and then retired, he is bored into a coma). However, In a more realistic, and addressable, situation, you hear shots, possibly some screaming, down the hall. Possibly in the room next to yours, now what?

 

[MistWolf]

I have seen the arguments used in this thread against placing buckets of rocks in classrooms before. Anti-gunners use them. "They'll get used to hurt someone or break something."

Although not a suitable substitute for firearms, I think the bucket of rocks is a marvelous idea and a step in the right direction. Arming the children with rocks to wait for the evil doer intent on killing them to step into the fatal funnel means their mindset is to fight back rather than die like helpless sheep at a slaughter. Like Clint Smith of Thunder Ranch says. "Don't be a snowflake. Die fighting."

 

[Demi-human]

Has everyone completely missed the fact that our children are not in charge of their security.
We are.
Relying on children to throw rocks at (usually) an adult armed with a rifle is ludicrous.
Armed teachers should be the absolute last line of defense. There should be so many before that we should not even be discussing this option at this point in time!

Anything except what will work, right?

 

[bullseye308]

Who will be paying for all these rocks?
Will there be training or certification involved?
Who is paying for that?
Will there be designated throwers?
How will this be legislated?
Who will supply the liability insurance for misses?
How will the rocks be tested, will the FBI come up with standards?
What regulations will ensure the rocks are stored properly when not in use?
Will the rocks be available in different sizes for any hand size?
Will they be gender neutral, or in all 68 genders?
Will they be customizable or accessorizable?
What will the penalty be for throwing someone else’s rock?
Will there be any paperwork required to buy the rocks?
What about background checks for designated throwers?
Will you have to pick them up one at a time or can you hold a bunch in your pockets(high capacity) and stay legal?

Someone has to answer all these before I’m on board. These are serious questions. I mean, it’s for the children after all.

 

[MistWolf]

Has everyone completely missed the fact that our children are not in charge of their security.
We are.

Of course, we are in charge of our children. Of course you are responsible for the security of our children. But YOU won't be there when a killer attacks their school.

When your house catches on fire, did you taught your children what to do? Or did you teach them to do nothing until an adult comes? Did you teach your child what to do if approached by a stranger? Or did you teach your child to do nothing until an adult comes?

I taught my children to be independent thinkers and to make choices for themselves. I trained them what to do in emergencies and to make decisions based on that training. It saved me and my children a lot of heartache and drama. It saved their lives. It made them better equipped to deal with the real world.

Yes, I want a trained and armed teacher on the premises if a killer decides to attack. But it will help the teacher if the children can throw rocks, cans, backpacks, pencils, milk cartons, paint pots, spit wads, chairs and Limburger cheese at the attacker when they come through the door. They don't call it the "Fatal Funnel" for nothing.

Victims who fight back are less likely to be hurt and are less affected by PTSD afterwards.

Yes, we are responsible for keeping our children safe. But more importantly, we are responsible for teaching them how to keep themselves safe and to protect themselves. The only person that will always be with them 24/7 is themselves.

 

[theotherwaldo]

Well, I've killed more deer with rocks than with handguns.
One is more than none.
It's understandable, though. According to my genome scan, I'm 2% Neanderthal, just doing what comes naturally.

 

[Demi-human]

Yes. I agree. Whole heartedly. Self sufficiency is the hallmark of being American.

As a last Ditch, fight for life, yes. As a solution for the ineptitude for the agencies involved in this fiasco, no. Not by a long shot.

Pardon my ire. I am ornery today.

 

[George P]

I guess it depends on if there are a lot of stoners in the school...

...seriously, at classroom range, very effective. I guess we're going to see who gets stoned to death first, a shooter, a teacher, or a student...

Maybe - a lot would depend on how many kids played little league and know how to actually throw something besides a tantrum........

 

[Hasaf]

Anything except what will work, right?

See, you understand. . .

After all, if we actually did something that worked, it would then become a non issue. . . Can't have that. . .

 

[Mr. Standfast]

They might think of better things than rocks, and it would probably have to be elaborated or combined with other procedures and devices. But the basic principle holds good. What can, with a fairly modest chance of producing what it is intended to prevent, be placed in the hands of a large number of untrained people? Worried by possible abuse, perhaps in parts of the prairie states where rocks are hard to capture in the wild? Spray the rocks with stamp-pad ink.

It isn't simply a matter of what happens once the gunman or gunperson enters a given classroom. It is a matter of not knowing what may come out of any door behind his back. A considerable number of spree killings lasted quite a while, and the perpetrator knowing he had to be in and out in a minute would have made a considerable difference to the death toll.

We also have to consider the perpetrator's attitude of mind. These actions appear to be an assertion of fragile self-esteem. Many commit suicide, or do it in circumstances where death at the hands of the police is just about inevitable. That just makes them feel heroic at last. They hate popular and successful kids more than anybody. But waking up in a secure ward, and seeing the hero who stopped him on TV, giving the audience a stamp-pad blue high-five? Getting a sports scholarship for it, like as not? It just takes seeing that a time or two to deter a lot of potential school shooters.

Another worthwhile precaution would be having a closet in every classroom with a six-foot length of 1½in. oak dowel and a heavy-duty bulletproof jacket, the kind you aren't meant to walk about in all day. You can't make every teacher carry a gun, but you can make them all have a closet, even if they will never open it, even if they just came out of one. Again, the shooter can't afford to turn his back on a doorway, and just imagine being in court in plaster, saying "I was doing fine until Miss Meek hit me with a stick."

Just wait till the next policeman shoots someone with a rock or a stick, and you will see plenty of people on the internet insisting that it is a deadly weapon, and the man with a gun can't afford to wait a second.

 

[milemaker13]

I can only hope this is the sarcastic option offered by a pro gun superintendent...

When parents complain this isn't enough, then suggest allowing techers to carry.

 

[Jeb Stuart]

I was just getting ready to post the same thing. It does sound like it is being absurd on purpose. His statement obviously caught on as demonstrated by some of the posters here. He was able to show how ridiculously under protected the schools are. Let us not be narrowed minded.