Poll: Do You Want South Orange - Maplewood Teachers to be Armed?
The shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School has begun a renewed conversation about how to best protect schools.
The school shooting in Newtown, Conn., this month has since triggered a conversation polarizing much of the country: Should teachers be armed in the classroom?
In the aftermath of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, which left 20 school children and six adults dead, administrators, teachers, parents and students are struggling with how best to address school safety.
A week after the shooting, National Rifle Association CEO and Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre called on school districts to arm their teachers -- among other tactics to increase school security.
The effect of the shooting has spread far from Newtown’s borders. Schools across Essex County were on high alert. Many districts reported student incidents, others increased the police presence in their schools, and more reevaluated their safety procedures.
The South Orange - Maplewood School District issued a statement saying it was reviewing its safety and emergency management procedures.
Four days after the shooting, a bomb threat at Montclair High School caused police and administrators to evacuate the students.
On Thursday, NRA President David Keene added that districts should decide how best to protect students and teachers, according to CNN.com.
Taking Keene’s advice, Maplewood Patch asks parents and residents: Do you want South Orange - Maplewood teachers to be armed? Is the answer more armed security guards or police officers -- and consequentially, the increased taxes which inevitably follow?
Or are we totally off the mark?
Vote now in the poll below, and share the opinions and ideas you have been thinking this month.
Lindsay
12:58 pm on Friday, December 28, 2012
We have no guns now, so the third choice "more guns in school" is not even applicable. Where is the choice "No guns in school"?
Guns are not the answer. They do not make me feel safer.
Ellen Sleeter
2:59 pm on Thursday, March 7, 2013
Me too!
Badly worded "survey"... NO GUNS is my choice.
LocalJoe
1:31 pm on Friday, December 28, 2012
Difficult question to answer. There are several (at least) questions that need to be answered first. For example, is an increased level of security needed at the schools? If yes, what are the total options? Are armed teachers a viable option, given legal issues, training, etc.? I would not put this option at the top of a list of methods to increase security in the schools. Do teachers even want to be armed?
DONTASKMEAGAIN
1:42 pm on Friday, December 28, 2012
If a teacher or administrator has a concealed carry permit then they should be allowed to carry at school. Since safety is a natural concern of parents, it could be required that teachers/administrators pass a safety course, such as an NRA certified handgun safety course.
This way there will be more "good guys" with guns then "bad guys" guns.
LocalJoe
3:34 pm on Friday, December 28, 2012
Near as I can tell, carrying a gun in a school is against the law in NJ (I am not a lawyer, but that is what my reading indicates), so if it were ever desired that teachers, with CCW permit and proper training be allowed to carry a gun in school, the law would have to be changed permitting such. Recently Governor Christie came out against armed guards in schools (http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/12/gov_christie_opposed_to_armed.html). Just like the NRA is asking that there be no increase in gun restrictions in response to recent shootings, there should be no increase in gun permits in response either. If a local community decides more armed security is needed at school, then best to employ the police in my opinion.
aron
10:32 am on Saturday, December 29, 2012
These are my thoughts also... First line of defense is always the best. We need more good guys with guns - - the bad guys always have them.
Lindsay
1:50 pm on Friday, December 28, 2012
The NRA has successfully changed the conversation, making the focus about 'more guns" instead of no guns. It's ridiculous and counterproductive. Teachers want to teach, not shoot.
LocalJoe
10:32 am on Saturday, December 29, 2012
Maplewood Patch extending the NRA conversation with this question? It's the wrong question.
Tom Christmann
3:34 pm on Friday, December 28, 2012
The NRA needs to STFU.
ConcernedMom
3:34 pm on Friday, December 28, 2012
How about arming the current security guards? Certainly if someone could shoot the shooter, a lot of lives could be saved.
Lindsay
4:00 pm on Friday, December 28, 2012
And when a security guard "shoots the shooter" and also kills students in the scuffle, how will you feel then? Guns in schools is wrong. Guns in the hands of guards at Columbine did not prevent the rampage.
Barbie
12:03 pm on Saturday, December 29, 2012
The guards were not armed at Columbine.
Lindsay
5:07 pm on Saturday, December 29, 2012
Barbie, get your info straight.... the guards were armed and had a shootout in the parking lot before the kids went in and shot the students.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/21/columbine-armed-guards_n_2347096.html
Barbie
1:40 pm on Sunday, December 30, 2012
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/columbine-armed-guards-schools-students-safe-article-1.1225796
My husband has an Oscar for his work on the film "Bowling for Columbine". He worked directly with Michael Moore and has been privy to extensive information about the incident. The article you cited is "Spin".
Teddy Higer-Paris
6:23 pm on Friday, December 28, 2012
Armed teachers and having guns in schools is definitely not the right answer to keeping our schools safe.
Toni
10:32 am on Saturday, December 29, 2012
Would you send your child to school knowing their teacher had a gun? I wouldn't. Teachers aren't saints. Anyone can misuse a gun. Guns are never the answer.
KSSR
10:32 am on Saturday, December 29, 2012
If guns are not the answer, why do police officers carry guns? Are banks, the airport, and elected officials more important to protect than your child?
Barbie
11:48 am on Saturday, December 29, 2012
Well said!
JPE
10:32 am on Saturday, December 29, 2012
Police reports state that that all 9 people shot at the Empire State Building were shot by the Police. Only one was the target. These are, one would assume, the most highly trained professionals when it came to shooting bad guys (outside of special services, etc). This sounds a horrible idea to me.
KSSR
11:05 am on Saturday, December 29, 2012
That was one instance, but are there a lot of those? I doubt it. I don't think teachers should be armed, but our schools deserve a police presence. The police guard everything else important, why not our children?
Marjorie Abel
11:05 am on Saturday, December 29, 2012
no, No, NO, never, Never, NEver, NEVer. NEVEr, NEVER!
More guns, more killingsl - NO WAY!!
Those inexperienced and untrained in emergency/stressful type situations (which includes most of us) have no guarantee that we'd ever hit our target. Even those trained in gun use usually do not hit target in those types of exrtraordinary circumstances - think of the recent police shootings in NYC.
Barbie
11:48 am on Saturday, December 29, 2012
I would rather have a teacher that is armed ( with TRAINING in self defense and security) than have her only armed with a stick of chalk when some nut job try's to shoot up a classroom. Movie stars and politicians have armed security. Shouldn't our children have the same security privilege?!
George Walsh
5:12 pm on Sunday, December 30, 2012
Barbie maybe I did not understand your reference to movie stars and politicians. No, Barbie, I don't feel movie stars or politicians are more important than children. That is not the point. The fact that movie stars may have security which they hire is not relevant to the question of whether teachers should be armed. Whether anyone hires private security to protect them is not relevant to arming teachers. The Secret Service protects certain elected officials. That is also not relevant to the question of whether teachers should be armed. If other politicians are protected by private security that they hire, fine. If corporations hire private security to protect executives, fine, that that’s their business. I appreciate that you want your children protected at school. I don’t understand why you believe that arming teachers will protect your children. What makes a teacher with a gun such a shield against harm? What makes you think teachers want to be armed? Why should teachers have the added burden of providing security? Shouldn’t school security be entrusted to professionals? If you want to hire private security like a movie star, go ahead. Trying to arm teachers sounds like an out-of-control mess to me, frought with potential problems beyond what we all have right now. So, I just thought it is irrelevant what movie stars do.
George Walsh
5:07 pm on Saturday, December 29, 2012
Barbie, not all teachers can be competent with firearms. Frankly, they should not have to be. Your mention of movie stars and politicians is irrelevant to the question.
Barbie
1:40 pm on Sunday, December 30, 2012
Perhaps you feel politicians and movie stars are more important to protect than our children. As a mother of 5 children, I want every resource available to protect my children.
KSSR
1:40 pm on Sunday, December 30, 2012
"One-third of the nation's elementary, middle and high schools reportedly already have armed security on campus. In 2000, President Clinton marked the one-year anniversary of Columbine by proposing a significant expansion of the government's existing "COPS in Schools" program. Now that the National Rifle Association's Mr. LaPierre has made a similar proposal, he is being ridiculed. Why?"
Robert Stine
1:40 pm on Sunday, December 30, 2012
The day I have to bring a gun to school to protect either myself or my students is the day I quit. I can't imagine a teacher wanting to have a gun in the classroom.