# Arming teachers **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 16, 2018, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arming-teachers/808927 "2018-02-16T14:48:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 42
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2018, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arming-teachers/808927/821 "2018-03-11T19:55:48Z")
> [@OldGuy](#): > > Just in case you weren’t making a joke, it is certainly not age discrimination to let teachers/employees, etc. do things that students/customers cannot do. Well, it is, it is just not protected discrimination. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2018, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arming-teachers/808927/822 "2018-03-11T20:01:42Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Its a really dark place, where adolescent anxiety and social stigma rub a disturbed mind into frenzy. Something about this particular shoot-up-your-high-school is a convergence of several ugly streams of consciousness. The very fact of its prominence is an agitator. So, we can pretty much rest horrified that it will happen again. > . imagine a society where adolescent anxiety “rubbed into a frenzy” is subjected to an addictive method of eliminating their perceived enemies. Have them repeat this training for hours at a time every day. Societies are based on how people interact with each other and those interactions are based on the lessons and life experiences we provide our children. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2018, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arming-teachers/808927/823 "2018-03-12T00:08:04Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > imagine a society where adolescent anxiety “rubbed into a frenzy” is subjected to an addictive method of eliminating their perceived enemies. Have them repeat this training for hours at a time every day. What is this _“addictive method of eliminating their perceived enemies”_ and _“training for hours at a time every day”_ you speak of? Really asking. (I probably missed something.) ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2018, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arming-teachers/808927/824 "2018-03-12T02:31:29Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > [This](http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-army-vet-shooting-20180311-story.html) would be a strong argument against your proposal. We have absolutely no idea what Wong did or didn’t do during his military service. That article reports that “Wong was deployed to Afghanistan in 2011 and was awarded the Expert Marksmanship Badge,” but I know that the badge they’re referring to gets awarded in training, not in combat. We have no idea if he actually saw combat. It’s possible that he’s just a fucked up guy regardless of what happened to him in the war. And yeah, it’s also possible that he _was_ in combat and that the trauma resulted in him lashing out with this shooting, but for every guy like him, there are a thousand other combat veterans who don’t _ever_ harm _anyone_ when they return to civilian life. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2018, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arming-teachers/808927/825 "2018-03-12T03:30:34Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > What is this _“addictive method of eliminating their perceived enemies”_ and _“training for hours at a time every day”_ you speak of? > > Really asking. (I probably missed something.) [Top 10 video games](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YhJMFX8Lac). ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2018, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arming-teachers/808927/826 "2018-03-12T03:34:09Z")
The only thing video games train you to do is play video games. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2018, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arming-teachers/808927/827 "2018-03-12T03:39:58Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > The high school in my district is set to pass a policy allowing teachers who volunteer and who meet the requirements (CCW permit, provides own handgun, undergo 20 hours of training, pass limited psych test) to carry. Their guns will not be locked up. They’ll be concealed-carry. > > Just FYI. Good for them. Are they planning to take other steps, such as hardening access to the school, etc.? ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2018, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arming-teachers/808927/828 "2018-03-12T04:06:06Z")
Yes, people need less access to schools. lol. You said it. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2018, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arming-teachers/808927/829 "2018-03-12T06:04:15Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > The only thing video games train you to do is play video games. none of the games mentioned involved teaching anyone how to play video games. The goal of all the games was to kill opponents. This is what the player seeks to do. If you are suggesting people can’t be influenced through role playing and/or children aren’t impressionable then I don’t know what to say to you. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2018, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arming-teachers/808927/830 "2018-03-12T07:04:25Z")
I submit that murderous urges can be assuaged by the fantasy of taking a fifty pound hammer and turning an ogre’s cranium into crunchy Jello. ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2018, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arming-teachers/808927/831 "2018-03-12T08:35:09Z")
> [@Jacquernagy](#): > > I don’t think that having teachers categorically _prohibited_ from carrying guns is necessary; I don’t have anything against those who volunteer to do so being allowed, provided that they meet the criteria above. (I don’t know just how “limited” that psych test is, that is mentioned.) I just don’t agree with the people (and there are some) who say flat-out that THE single solution to the school shooting problem is that teachers be armed. This is bullshit. The way theft I’ve thought of this is that teacher arming teachers isn’t the one and only solution. It is instead the very last line of defense. school security SHOULD be layered, fences, restricted access, security guard, etc. But if that fails as it did in Parkland should out teachers and their students be given a tool to defend s themselves? Right now, the only option they have is to hide in a closet and use their body as a giant bullet sponge to try and protect their students. Florida where I live has just passed legislation allowing school employees to be armed, just not teachers in a classroom. The exact wording I think were coaches and lunchroom personnel could carry. What a great way to make the intent all but useless. I don’t think anyone be actually thinks that we are expecting armed teachers to actively track down an active shooter. An armed teacher should be expected to defend his or her classroom from being entered by an armed individual. Hoping Edna the lunch lady was a former Navy Seal and will hunt down the psycho is insane. My wife is a teacher and also a CCW holder. She feels the same as I do when I comes to be armed. My firearm may very well not save me from someone intent on harming me, but it doors give me a fighting chance. And if I have to go down, I’d rather do fighting for my life than begging. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2018, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arming-teachers/808927/832 "2018-03-12T11:15:45Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > none of the games mentioned involved teaching anyone how to play video games. The goal of all the games was to kill opponents. This is what the player seeks to do. > > If you are suggesting people can’t be influenced through role playing and/or children aren’t impressionable then I don’t know what to say to you. When it comes to the topic of gun culture influencing gun violence, there aren’t enough statistics in world, but when it comes to video game culture influencing gun violence you get responses like the one above. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2018, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arming-teachers/808927/833 "2018-03-12T11:25:40Z")
> [@obbn](#): > > school security SHOULD be layered, fences, restricted access, security guard, etc. . Apparently there is no money for any of that. ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2018, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arming-teachers/808927/834 "2018-03-12T15:45:35Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > Apparently there is no money for any of that. That’s simply untrue. Almost every single school I’ve ever been in had had a security fence and restricted access. All entry doors are locked except the main office entrance. This is almost certainly true of any school built in the last ten years. Security, some do and some don’t. The majority of Florida middle and high schools I’m aware of usually have a School Resource Officer. Even if we had unlimited funds for fences and a guard at every school, allowing teachers who choose to be armed to do so is a solid plan. Last line of defense. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2018, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arming-teachers/808927/835 "2018-03-12T16:57:07Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > The only thing video games train you to do is play video games. Lies, lies ! After spending so much of my time getting critical hits from stealth with by bow in _Skyrim_, I am now 100% able to hit bullseye from 500 paces with a bow even though I haven’t ever even held one and am essentially invisible at all times. In addition, my extensive \*Soulsborne \*playing has made me a real danger to be reckoned with in a fight, especially fights with people who are larger, heavier and stronger than I am. That’s just common sense, and anybody who tells you different has trouble differentiating between an imaginary world they create for themselves and physical reality. ---
**Author:** ![Crazy\_Canuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazy_canuck/32/5282_2.png) [@Crazy\_Canuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazy_Canuck)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2018, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arming-teachers/808927/836 "2018-03-12T17:08:27Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > [Top 10 video games](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YhJMFX8Lac). That’s not even an accurate description of the link. The actual title of the linked video is “top 10 video game **guns**.” I guess it’s just a coincidence that the most popular game of all time, Tetris, is completely non-violent and doesn’t actually support your argument whatsoever. And for the record, here in Canada we have all the violent video games that you do in the States, yet somehow we’re not shooting each other in anywhere near the numbers that you Americans do. The same is true in many other countries. My theory is that this is because violent video games have as much to do with real life violence as Dungeons and Dragons has to do with real life Satanism. This is a sad diversionary attempt to create a moral panic. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2018, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arming-teachers/808927/837 "2018-03-12T17:13:24Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > If you are suggesting people can’t be influenced through role playing and/or children aren’t impressionable then I don’t know what to say to you. Debating is hard. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2018, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arming-teachers/808927/838 "2018-03-12T17:29:44Z")
> [@Crazy\_Canuck](#): > > I guess it’s just a coincidence that the most popular game of all time, Tetris, is completely non-violent and doesn’t actually support your argument whatsoever. Tell that to the blocks who are dropped from great heights, forcibly shoved into place for no other reason than their shape and color, and are ultimately blown up and destroyed. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2018, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arming-teachers/808927/839 "2018-03-12T17:38:26Z")
> [@Crazy\_Canuck](#): > > That’s not even an accurate description of the link. The actual title of the linked video is “top 10 video game **guns**.” I guess it’s just a coincidence that the most popular game of all time, Tetris, is completely non-violent and doesn’t actually support your argument whatsoever. What would look worse: 1. He didn’t even bother to look at the video he posted as evidence, or 2. He _did_ watch it, and still got it that wrong? ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2018, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arming-teachers/808927/840 "2018-03-13T00:59:53Z")
> [@obbn](#): > > That’s simply untrue. Almost every single school I’ve ever been in had had a security fence and restricted access. All entry doors are locked except the main office entrance. This is almost certainly true of any school built in the last ten years. . So then the problem is solved? > [@obbn](#): > > Security, some do and some don’t. The majority of Florida middle and high schools I’m aware of usually have a School Resource Officer. . So then the problem is solved? > [@obbn](#): > > Even if we had unlimited funds for fences and a guard at every school, allowing teachers who choose to be armed to do so is a solid plan. Last line of defense. So then the problem is solved? I guarantee you the problem of school shootings is not solved. You know it too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arming-teachers/808927.md?page=41) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arming-teachers/808927.md?page=43)