(Cross posted from
"For Our Future.")
File this one under worst ideas ever:
To make our schools safe for our students to learn, all options should be on the table," [Republican Rep. Frank Lasee] said. "Israel and Thailand have well-trained teachers carrying weapons and keeping their children safe from harm. It can work in Wisconsin."
In Thailand, where officials have been waging a bloody fight with Muslim separatists for the last two years, some teachers carry weapons for self defense as they are viewed as part of the government. In Israel, teachers are not allowed to carry weapons in the school, but security guards at the entrances are armed.
Lasee said he planned to introduce legislation that would allow school personnel to carry concealed weapons. He stressed that it would hinge on school staff members getting strict training on the use of the weapons, and he acknowledged he would have to work around a federal law that bans guns on school grounds.
I hardly know where to begin. The sudden rash of school shooting has clearly caused some public officials to completely lose their minds. I hope this is nothing but a cheap publicity stunt, but I guess I should never underestimate the stupidity of Republicans.
We need fewer guns in our schools, not more. Arming teachers would send the wrong message in so many ways; it almost seems pointless to run through all the arguments against this idea. The most obvious problem is that students might get a hold of guns belonging to teachers and use them to commit violent acts.
The second, and much larger issue, is the militarization of schools. We shouldn't turn teachers into armed guards who are trained to shoot students. I can only imagine what this proposal would do to the relationships between educators and their pupils. Instead of bringing apples to school, students might start brining ammo clips.
Thankfully, almost every official involvement in the public school system has denounced this idea. I hope Rep. Frank Lasee will be too embarrassed to suggest this idea again.