Gun-Trained Teacher Accidentally Shoots Gun In Calif. High School Classroom

[zimmy]

Originally Posted by Jim in CT

And I know a few dozen families in Newtown, who would gouge their own eyes out, for the teachers there to have been armed.

When you say you know them, do you know them? I don't know a few dozen, but I do personally know people who lost a child, a former colleague who lost a child, and have a good friend who had kids in Sandy Hook School that day and I have NEVER heard them say they wish the teachers were armed. Pretty sure you are making that up and it is a pretty egregious thing to state that if you don't actually know it. I understand the sentiment you are referring to, but many of those parents have dedicated their lives to preventing it happening to other people and I don't know one of them who is promoting armed teachers. I do know some of them are appalled by the idea.

[Sea Dangles]

Originally Posted by zimmy

When you say you know them, do you know them? I don't know a few dozen, but I do personally know people who lost a child, a former colleague who lost a child, and have a good friend who had kids in Sandy Hook School that day and I have NEVER heard them say they wish the teachers were armed. Pretty sure you are making that up and it is a pretty egregious thing to state that if you don't actually know it. I understand the sentiment you are referring to, but many of those parents have dedicated their lives to preventing it happening to other people and I don't know one of them who is promoting armed teachers. I do know some of them are appalled by the idea.

It is easy to sit in a chair while you are supposed to be working and be the judge and jury. Sometime s the context of such statements are lost on certain individuals. I think what Jim is trying to explain is that ANY PARENT who lost a child that day at Sandy Hook would have embraced ANY measure which could have prevented their child's death. Obviously the children were defenseless and there were no heroes in the building that could use martial arts or fancy words to help save a life. Let's not pretend that if any of us finds ourselves in a situation where the outlook appears dire and the bad guys have guns as well as bad intentions then we would hope for any way to defend ourselves and our loved ones. Who is going to be the first fool here that gets a look at the news and hears that a shooter is at their children's school with plenty of ammo and there is NOBODY to defend their son or daughter. Can you honestly say you would just sit there and HOPE for the best? Yes, we have to do better at preventing a situation like this in the first place. But what happens when that doesn't work?
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[Pete F.]

Originally Posted by Sea Dangles

It is easy to sit in a chair while you are supposed to be working and be the judge and jury. Sometime s the context of such statements are lost on certain individuals. I think what Jim is trying to explain is that ANY PARENT who lost a child that day at Sandy Hook would have embraced ANY measure which could have prevented their child's death. Obviously the children were defenseless and there were no heroes in the building that could use martial arts or fancy words to help save a life. Let's not pretend that if any of us finds ourselves in a situation where the outlook appears dire and the bad guys have guns as well as bad intentions then we would hope for any way to defend ourselves and our loved ones. Who is going to be the first fool here that gets a look at the news and hears that a shooter is at their children's school with plenty of ammo and there is NOBODY to defend their son or daughter. Can you honestly say you would just sit there and HOPE for the best? Yes, we have to do better at preventing a situation like this in the first place. But what happens when that doesn't work?
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These are in the US
There are 74 million children under 18 in the US, I didn't check to see just how many are in school, but lets say 50 million.
Roughly 20,000 children die each year for any reason.
On average 10 children a year have been killed by guns in schools over the past 25 years.
On average 100 children a year have been killed riding their bicycles to school each year for the past 25 years
On average 1500 children a year are killed in gun violence
On average 15000 children a year are injured by guns
On average 570 children a year are killed in car accidents
Just where are our priorities?

[Sea Dangles]

Originally Posted by Pete F.

These are in the US
There are 74 million children under 18 in the US, I didn't check to see just how many are in school, but lets say 50 million.
Roughly 20,000 children die each year for any reason.
On average 10 children a year have been killed by guns in schools over the past 25 years.
On average 100 children a year have been killed riding their bicycles to school each year for the past 25 years
On average 1500 children a year are killed in gun violence
On average 15000 children a year are injured by guns
On average 570 children a year are killed in car accidents
Just where are our priorities?

Not sure about that but my priority is to raise my children to grow up to be independent, kind people. They deserve to be protected regardless of where or how.
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[Jim in CT]

Originally Posted by zimmy

When you say you know them, do you know them? I don't know a few dozen, but I do personally know people who lost a child, a former colleague who lost a child, and have a good friend who had kids in Sandy Hook School that day and I have NEVER heard them say they wish the teachers were armed. Pretty sure you are making that up and it is a pretty egregious thing to state that if you don't actually know it. I understand the sentiment you are referring to, but many of those parents have dedicated their lives to preventing it happening to other people and I don't know one of them who is promoting armed teachers. I do know some of them are appalled by the idea.

I came to know two families, whom I met afterwards when I brought my pet therapy dog to the scene and then to their homes. I would never ask them anything about the incident, so I didn't take a poll.

"it is a pretty egregious thing to state that if you don't actually know it

I apologize, didn't mean it that way, but I hear you.

"I don't know one of them who is promoting armed teachers"

I don't either. I was speculating. I'm very comfortable with the speculation.

How about if I phrase it this way, instead of making a specific reference...I'm comfortable that 99% of parents out there, when informed there is a mass shooter at school determined to kill as many children as possible before being stopped by police, would rather have armed teachers than wait for the police. I'm sure I am correct.

If you or Paul disagree, can you tell me on what basis you'd rather wait for the cops to show up? Because of the chance that if the teacher tried to intervene, he'd shoot innocent kids? That's obviously a possibility, which is why I'd rather see soldiers in the schools than armed teachers. But it's incredibly unlikely that someone trying to intervene, could accidentally cause nearly the carnage of someone trying to cause as much carnage as possible.