Another School Shooting, this time in Florida

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

Also, there's the inevitable "Who is going to pay for it."
The question of arming teachers is purely theoretical until we change our public school system so the kids don't need to bring their own damn pencils and the teachers aren't working their days off at Walmart.

So tell me who paid for the Broward Sheriff's Department's Lamborghini?

Our leaders are much more willing to allocate funding to police than to schools.

[Paul Walker]

The constitution does not specify the types of armament you are allowed. THAT is up to the government and the courts to decide. Various ammendments and rights in the constitution are very specific where they wanted to be "3/5th of a vote" for instance. All it says is that you have the right to bear arms as part of a well-regulated militia.

Actually, if you read other documents the founders wrote, like the Federalist Papers, it becomes pretty obvious that they meant arms that were what the average infantryman carried, as the reasoning was that the average citizen could become an average infantryman in time of need. That's the entire reason for the militia clause, and not that membership in one was required, as is often put forward by the "reasonable gun control" side. The argument you put forward is frankly quite Orwellian, and is the exact same reasoning given for the absolute trampling the 4th Amendment has taken over the last three Presidencies, where you literally had a spokesman from the FBI saying "we decide what's 'unreasonable'." No, all you and people like you are doing is trying to undermine the rights of others to suit your own political agenda, which I'm sure you've convinced yourself is for our own good.

So allow access to a pistol or revolver to all persons, but once you start looking at purchasing weapons which have the ability to mow down tens of people at once, then you must go through a course like you would for driving a car. You are tested to make sure that you are mentally competent to handle such a weapon, and physically capable too.

Incidentally, pistols are the type of firearm used in most crime. I know it's not as sexy as the fantasy you seem to have about "assault weapons," but there it is.

Actually I've no real investment in this, as I'm not American. This is my opinion as an outsider, based on what I have seen and read. I'm asking as part of a genuine discussion because I'm interested in what the other side has to say.

I live in a country (Scotland) where the first time there was a mass shooting at a school, gun ownership laws were tightened to a point where there are only 7 guns per 100 people, and that includes police officers, rifle clubs etc. There has never been a similar incident since then, and our shooting stats are well below those in the States (where I'm fairly sure that the statistics are 101 guns per 100 people).

As a Physics Teacher, and as someone who trained in the states to use firearms, I also don't like the idea of being in school with a gun. Were I in that position, I'd be wondering everyday if that was the day a pupil would walk in with a weapon, where I was responsible for their serious injury and/or death. That's not why I signed up to be a teacher, and I'm glad there's no chance that kind of rule would even be considered over this side of the atlantic.

[excalibur]

Also, there's the inevitable "Who is going to pay for it."
The question of arming teachers is purely theoretical until we change our public school system so the kids don't need to bring their own damn pencils and the teachers aren't working their days off at Walmart.

So tell me who paid for the Broward Sheriff's Department's Lamborghini?

Our leaders are much more willing to allocate funding to police than to schools.

Especially to police departments that don't do shit in a crisis situation. There are either not enough cops to be everywhere, they take too long to save anyone or there are not enough cops (yes, I'm being redundant on purpose). In the case of Florida recently, not 1, not 2 but 4 Sheriff's Deputies were not even told to engage the shooter or secure the building. There were 4 of them and none of them went inside. They just waited outside, guns drawn. These were supposed to be the guys that most would say are responsible for protecting us. Well here's a good example of them not. Where were they for 4 out of the 6 ish minutes this rampage went on? You don't trust regular people with the big guns, yet here are the guys you rather have the big guns and they didn't do shit with them? I'd rather take the chances of having armed teachers and staff in a school because at least they are inside the fucking building where it's going on.

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

Also, there's the inevitable "Who is going to pay for it."
The question of arming teachers is purely theoretical until we change our public school system so the kids don't need to bring their own damn pencils and the teachers aren't working their days off at Walmart.

So tell me who paid for the Broward Sheriff's Department's Lamborghini?

Our leaders are much more willing to allocate funding to police than to schools.

Especially to police departments that don't do shit in a crisis situation. There are either not enough cops to be everywhere, they take too long to save anyone or there are not enough cops (yes, I'm being redundant on purpose). In the case of Florida recently, not 1, not 2 but 4 Sheriff's Deputies were not even told to engage the shooter or secure the building. There were 4 of them and none of them went inside. They just waited outside, guns drawn. These were supposed to be the guys that most would say are responsible for protecting us. Well here's a good example of them not. Where were they for 4 out of the 6 ish minutes this rampage went on? You don't trust regular people with the big guns, yet here are the guys you rather have the big guns and they didn't do shit with them? I'd rather take the chances of having armed teachers and staff in a school because at least they are inside the fucking building where it's going on.

I actually largely agree with your point about the police officers.
Until our leaders decide that education is as important as speed traps and the war on drugs, however, the armed teacher proposal remains an abstract with no chance of practical reality, and largely irrelevant to this discussion.

[excalibur]

For me, it's a simple proposal to end the Gun Free Zone Act and not make it a federal crime to even accidentally bring a gun near school property. This concept has not helped anyone and has actually caused legal problems to law abiding citizens than criminals and crazies who have not obeyed laws

[excalibur]

This guy talks better than me https://www.facebook.com/NickFreitasVA/ ... v1Vbi7K1Q0

[Mercury01]

These were supposed to be the guys that most would say are responsible for protecting us.

The police have no duty to protect us. The police exist to enforce the law.

[Admiral X]

Yet you wish to limit the ability of people to protect themselves.

[excalibur]

These were supposed to be the guys that most would say are responsible for protecting us.

The police have no duty to protect us. The police exist to enforce the law.

Exactly my point.

[Mercury01]

Yet you wish to limit the ability of people to protect themselves.

I wish to de-escalate peoples' ability to kill each other, and that includes police officers.