Editor,
I just wanted to give (columnist Danielle Wilson) my two cents on your commentary (published March 6) regarding arming teachers in schools. I do not think anyone is suggesting that all teachers in every school carry guns or that we should be turning our schools into penitentiaries. I do, however, think that it would be sensible to talk about the possibility of some teachers who already conceal carry, are experienced shooters, and feel comfortable with the responsibility having access to a gun in the classroom being part of the solution to protecting our children and teachers across the country.
In some areas, this could work to add to the security of our schools in shooter situations, and in other areas there may need to be more armed officers on campus. We have seen that in these shooter situations, most of the devastation occurs within a matter of minutes while teachers are using their bodies to protect children, often losing their life in the process. Wouldn’t you rather hear that the football coach that lost his life shielding his students instead had access to a gun and took out the shooter, minimizing or preventing the devastation that took place? Maybe if that was part of the story, these cowards might think twice about shooting up a school, knowing there’s a good chance they’ll be shot themselves. On the other hand, if it isn’t deterrence for the shooter because he’s suicidal, etc., at least the devastation could be much less and more lives could be saved.
If we want to engage in meaningful conversations and realistic solutions, as you’ve stated, then we should at least talk about the possible solutions. Obviously, you wouldn’t be one of the teachers in this position to have access to a gun since you aren’t experienced or comfortable handling a gun. That doesn’t mean there aren’t teachers out there that are experienced and want to have the ability to protect themselves and their students in a situation like this. Again, this wouldn’t work in every school, but it should at least be part of the conversation. Why delete it from the conversation just because you aren’t a teacher who would be a good candidate in this position? There may be others that are and there may be none, but it should at least be part of the conversation so that we can all gather that information and see what does and does not work in different areas of the nation to protect human life.
Summer Jenkins, Westfield
