One subject that I’m a little surprised hasn’t been more of an issue in the race for the West Bend School Board is the issue of allowing firearms in our schools. One of the candidates, Tonnie Schmidt, is the co-owner of Delta Defense, which has been incredibly active in promoting more progressive and realistic means of defending out schools.
Last year I attended a forum sponsored by Delta Defense where the panelists discussed the varying benefits and worries about allowing firearms into our schools. The basic premise is that gun-free zones are targets for deranged lunatics. A more rational response is to allow people the defend themselves just like they can across the street from the school. That might mean just allowing anyone who is already licensed to carry a weapon to also do so in schools. It might mean just allowing willing teachers and staff to be armed. It might mean some other flavor of armed deterrence and defense. The point is that there is no rational basis for not allowing adults to protect themselves and our kids with access to lethal force should the worst happen. As I said in my column about this subject:
Banning the same people who safely carry a concealed weapon into grocery stores, banks, restaurants, parks and many other places from carrying that same weapon into a school is nonsensical. The ban is based on an irrational fear of guns that has been debunked everywhere else in society. And for many CCW parents, like me, it is ludicrous to disarm parents precisely at the time when they are with the people they most want to defend — their children.
Perhaps if Schmidt is elected to the School Board, this is an issue she could champion. Many of us would be 100% behind her if she did.
Well said. In all seriousness, when is the last time we heard of a mass shooting at a gun show? Never.
As unstable and evil as those individuals are that would do harm to innocent children and teachers, those individuals always attack places that are by law prevented from protecting themselves.
Owen, I like your idea to let teachers chose, and if you are already a licensed to carry a firearm, you should be able to enter the school. I’m sure Delta Defense and other have the statistics that establish that licensed carry firearm owners have the lowest crime rate.
I would also suggest that if teachers are allowed to carry in school, that the firearm may not be noticeable, and all reasonable attempts to hide the firearm be taken. Teachers are already in a position of power, and I don’t think we would want to associate that position of power with a gun. I’m not sure how it would be accomplished, but there are plenty of gun experts out there that could provide ideas, e.g. size of gun, caliber, etc. And also, teachers would be forbidden from disclosing to students whether they or another teacher carries or does not.