I beg to differ. I AM counting on teachers as our school defense program. I want them to defend my child while he is in school and I do hold them responsible for this defense. In this case, by teachers, I am truly referring to all school personnel in general. We sometimes mistakenly think teachers are the only people in the school. This is one reason I am so strong in my position that teachers should be allowed to be armed.fickman wrote:We are not counting on armed teachers as our school defense program.
<snip>
But if the shooter happened to force his way into a classroom where a teacher has decided that their life (and the lives of the children for whom they are responsible) are worth defending, then the attacker will meet resistance.
In all likelihood, if the shooter had already been active elsewhere in the building, the teacher would be in a defensive position, behind a closed / locked / barricaded door, between the students and the shooter, and give it all they can should the attacker gain entrance to the room.
I put my money (what little I have) in a bank with armed guards to protect it. I put valuable documents in a bank safety deposit box for the same reason. I value my children more than any amount of money or documents. Why would I not want them to be guarded by armed guards who feel responsible for their defense?
Your argument about how to defend the children, such as search out the shooter or blockade the door to their room are merely questions of tactics. I agree that a teacher in a room full of children should probably blockade the door and take a strong defensive position while trying to maneuver the children into a safer spot (much like the one teacher did at Newtown, hiding the children in the closet). But we are missing the fact that no teacher is with the children the whole time they are in school. A certain number are always on a break, in the office, preparing for class, lunch, etc. I would expect them to respond in some way also.
One of the reasons I have always recommended CHLs is that it takes too long for the police to respond. The quickest response in a school will be by the school personnel. It could be a teacher who is not with the class at the minute, an administrator, a police officer assigned to the campus, or a volunteer parent allowed to carry. In any case, I do think the school system is responsible for the safety of the children in their care and we MUST make sure the administration is aware of this responsibility.