markngolf Loc: Bridgewater, NJ

I proudly taught mathematics in NJ public schools for 39 years. I loved the profession and took pride in being a teacher. I retired in 97' and still miss it. I was privileged to teach in highly rated communities of Middletown, Watchung & my last 29 years in Chatham, NJ. I did not face the issues prevalent in today's schools. However, while some methods have changed, material and curricula have changed, once inside a classroom, a teacher's prime role has mostly remained the same.

This is not a political discourse, but politics certainly enters into the discussion. Recently President Trump has alluded to making classrooms and schools safer from the onslaught of sick and mentally troubled individuals, armed with guns, killing our students and teachers. He's indicated that a few "adept" teachers be armed with weapons - "concealed weapons". He concludes, in general, that the villains would think twice before attacking a school with armed teachers. So the message to the students in our schools is, "we can solve this by employing and using more weapons"? Kids are really scared. My grandchildren are scared to go to school everyday. I should explain to them that the solution is to have a select set of armed teachers in their schools and once in place, they will be safe? Will someone help me explain that to my grandchildren? From my perspective, no bystander has ever been killed by the mental illness of another. It's the guns that do the killing. More guns??? More guns in classrooms?

Here's the new question during the interview of an applicant for a teaching position:"Good morning Mr, Jones. Welcome to Podunk School. Let's begin with your level of education, OK? Are you a marksman, sharpshooter or expert?"

Please explain this to me. (Please no mention of 2nd Amendment or similar. I've read the Constitution. I doubt it will make my grandchildren feel safer.)
Thanks for allowing me to "rant".
Mark

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

Just another one of trumps windbag ideas to make him look like he is doing something or cares. All he cares about is being the headline and looking good to his fan base.

As for the second amendment, I'm all for it as it was when the founding fathers came up with it. They had no idea or concept of what the arms of their day would evolve into. I doubt very much if their intentions were for assault rifles and machine pistols.
Let the people keep arms, as long as they are single shot muzzle loaders.

Ghost45 Loc: Everywhere/ Nowhere

I set a rifle on the front porch and watched it all day. The “rifle “ didn’t kill anything.
It’s a tool like a hammer, used by an individual with a mind.
Truly, you should think bigger.

LWW Loc: Banana Republic of America

The fact of the matter is that 98% of mass shootings occur in so called “GUN FREE ZONES” so the problem is self evident.

ken_stern Loc: Yorba Linda, Ca

Arming our Teachers & converting our Schools into fortresses is insane --- The rest of the civilized world has solved that problem --- SO MUST WE

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

I have no problem with your porch or the rifle sitting on it, just as I have no problem with the rifles sitting in my closet at home.
I have a problem with people who can get their hands on weapons that were designed for the sole purpose of killing as many people as possible in as short a time as possible, when these people should not be allowed passed a locked steel door.
problem is no one wants to deal with the problem people or pay for it.
couple that with an ability to acquire weapons that no non military or law enforcement personnel have a need for, then you have a recipe for trouble.
If no one wants to deal with the human element then deal with the unnecessary weapons.

Ring Loc: Reed City Michigan

Australia tried removing guns in the home. Crime went up 60% immediately. You cannot tell me that guns do the killing. They are merely the tool of a deranged mind. My recommendation (iterated by others) is: Retired police/military personnel at the doors while they are open. Lockdown when classes start with only one door accessible, with an armed professional (see above) there. WITH A METAL DETECTOR! Two or three police cars on the premises when the doors are open for student ingress/egress. Fifteen minutes in the morning and afternoon should not overlo

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

👍👍 Exactly, and I know I should stay out of this, but I think we’ve reached the point where those of us that are not in the “guns unlimited at any cost” need to speak out.

I, like many other kids in my part of the US, grew up with guns and hunting. A .22 at 12 and a shotgun at 13. Many like me, were members of the NRA. I shot in rifle competition in college and shot on the base pistol team while in the Army. I carried both an M14 and an M16 in VietNam. I own guns and have a concealed carry permit. BUT, I see no valid reason why a civilian needs an assault weapon or 30 shot clips. They are lousy hunting rifles and lousy target rifles, and as far as home protection, I’ll take a pump 12 gauge any day (we found them very effective in ambushes in VietNam).There are so many now in circulation, that it will be impossible to eliminate them (but perhaps ban the ammunition in the same way that certain types of ammo are banned in some cites and stop selling any more of them ). Would it stop school shootings and carnage like Las Vegas? No, but would it vastly diminish the carnage? You bet. Hard to kill dozens of people quickly with 5 or 6 shots - the capacity of most hunting rifles. Now someone tell me why an assault-style weapon with a 30 shot clip is necessary or even useful in anything but a combat environment. I am NOT against firearm ownership, but let’s have some common sense here, or this carnage, which has become an almost weekly fact of life in the US will continue. BTW, I notice that Remington Arms, based here in NC, and one of the older firearm manufacturers, has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy partially as the result of being sued over producing the assault rifle used in a major mass shooting. I expect (and welcome) opposing points of view, but let’s address my questions directly rather than trotting out the old 2nd amendment or “the government will disarm the population and establish a police state” arguments.

I don’t pretend to know the answer to the current problem, but I hope we can all agree that when shootings like this week’s occur regularly, some action is necessary. I also agree both political parties are complicit and seemingly powerless, either afraid of alienating a small portion of their base or their NRA funding. Again, I cannot see the harm in banning assault type weapons and large clips (for all the reasons I mentioned previously) and before someone posts an argument that it’s imposssible to identify an “assault type” weapon, that’s just disengenious. anyone who knows anything about guns knows what we’re talking about. I notice that no one is complaining about the federal regulations concerning owning fully automatic weapons, so it’s really just a question of where we draw the line between legitimate self defense, target and hunting weapons and weapons of war. I can certainly tell the difference, and I contend that if the 19 year old shooter had used a .22, shotgun or deer rifle (all of which he could legally purchase), it’s likely the number of fatalities would have been smaller. As I said, I spent a year carrying the fully automatic version of the AR-15 in a combat zone, and while it made good sense in VietNam, I just don’t see how it makes good sense in the United States.

Ghost45 Loc: Everywhere/ Nowhere

Do your research, just had another in a gun free country

Ring Loc: Reed City Michigan

Australia 'confiscated' all privately owned guns, as I understand it. Crime went up 60% immediately! I cannot accept your premise: No gun has ever aimed itself and actuated it's trigger. The idiot HOLDING the gun did so. A gun is merely a tool; a deranged individual aimed it and pulled the trigger. Apparently we have no means to establish ahead of time who the loonies are, we must develop protection against them. I have a possible solution to school shootings which has been previously iterated to some degree. Utilize retired military/police personnel to monitor the doors with metal detectors like we see at Courthouses.
Once school starts, all outer doors are locked with one available for entry with an armed guard stationed (see above). At beginning and ending of the school day, the presence of two or three police cars for 15-20 minutes would discourage any loonie from attempting a shooting episode. I'm sure any of the retired military personnel organizations would be happy to provide volunteers for the duty. This may not prevent ALL attacks, but I believe it would minimize the potential.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Please post the source of that statistic, and while you’re at it post examples of where an armed private citizen stopped a mass shooting or a major crime, and statistics on where private armed citizens prevented crimes (such a burglaries) vs the number of times the gun was either used to kill/injure the homeowner or was stolen to be used in another crime. The truth is that the average gun owner has no idea (unless he’s been in a combat zone or is a police officer) how to react in the middle of the night to an intruder or a sudden attack like a mass shooting. It’s not only a matter of skill and marksmanship, I can tell you from experience, that you need to have decided before hand that you will not hesitate to shoot. How many non combat veterans or law enforcement officers have already made that decision when the moment comes, and how many of those make a mistake and shoot an innocent person in the chaos of the moment? If you haven’t had this experience, you can’t know how you will react. Nothing scarier than amateurs with deadly weapons...

BTW, I have no issue with metal detectors at schools (although it’s a damn shame we’ve come to this point), and/or armed guards (but it didn’t stop the carnage at Parkland), but the idea of your average teacher with limited training or experience in combat/gunfights carrying a gun in classrooms just doesn’t make sense to me. The idea seems to be that if everyone in the country carries a gun all the time, then we’ll all be safer. Really? Is this Wild West the world you really want you and your children to live in the 21st century? Really?

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

First of all, I ama Trump supporter, but I do not agree with every thing he says. Every teacher does not need to be armed. But there should be an armed presence in every school. Retired military, police or trained volunteer. Then a sign such as -This school protected by armed security- should be posted. There is an armed presence at Football or basketball games. Congress, the White House, Many celebrities. local politicians, Banks, jewelery stores, armored Trucks etc, etc. Those guns are almost never used, but why them and not our children?

Joe Blow

Think about what you're suggesting. You want to turn every school into an armed fortress instead of a school. That is putting band-aids on the problem instead of addressing the problem. The problem isn't inside the schools.

These mass killings aren't using baseball bats or even machetes. They're using weapons designed to kill. The more efficient they are, the better they can kill. If we are going to fix the problem, we need to fix the cause.

The Second Amendment states that the "organized militia" should not have their right infringed. I'm fine with that. As with the other militia, the National Guard, subject every militia member to a mental health evaluation before allowing them to purchase or own a gun. That way all law abiding militia members can have their guns and the crazies won't.

LWW Loc: Banana Republic of America

Actually that’s not what it says or means.

hasslichhog

markngolf - "no bystander has ever been killed by the mental illness of another."

Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! This statement is naivete at it's worst. Mentally ill folks have used every device conceivable to kill others: knives, axes, baseball bats, rocks, kitchen utensils, their hands, their fists, their feet, suffocation by pillows, vehicles, bombs, big aggressive dogs, food poisoning, pushing someone off a cliff...you name it.