Arming teachers with guns

[noblegiraffe]

It’s all going mad in the US.

“The US Education Department is weighing up whether to allow federal funding to buy guns for school teachers.”

WTF.

“The unprecedented move, by education secretary Betsy DeVos, would reverse a longstanding policy barring the federal government from equipping schools with firearms, The New York Times reported today.”

And we thought Michael Gove was bad.

www.tes.com/news/us-government-considers-buying-guns-teachers

[Dickybow321]

I think they should arm the children

[noblegiraffe]

That was the solution proposed to politicians on that new Ali G-type show wasn’t it?
A load of prominent people in the US agreeing that arming kids is a great idea

But government funding potentially being used to arm teachers? Not to buy glue sticks and board markers?
The article also says that there are already armed teachers in New York State.

[physicskate]

Yeah because armed police officers on school campuses hasn't been enough to stop the madness... let's arm the (relatively) untrained teachers who won't have their guns stolen or lost ever... who won't ever accidentally shoot someone else because of a lack of training... great idea from the homeland. Ffs.

[Piggywaspushed]

To be fair, Americans don't quite use the word teachers in the same way as we do. The armed teachers are 'educators' or 'auxiliaries' ie TAs.

Not sure if that makes it better....

[maZebraltov]

It's going to be a very localised thing, already has happened in a few places since years ago.

www.today.com/parents/rural-school-district-has-armed-teachers-against-school-shootings-t125618

www.denverpost.com/2018/07/08/colorado-teacher-guns-schools-classroom/

[colditz]

I would be home educating if we lived in the states. Not a cat in Hell's chance would my children be attending a school that arms the teachers. That's a flat no from me. Everything about it is fucked up.

[maZebraltov]

The real question is whether the Federal policy will start to interfere with state powers... will HI, MA, OR, CT, CA or NY be able to declare NOT in my state, or will someone take the issue all the way to Supreme Court. Will SCOTUS expected to tilt very rightwards. SCOTUS could insist teachers have a constitutional right to be armed while at work.

[leonardthelemming]

There were huge demonstrations from students against this idea, after the mass shooting in Florida. (Search YouTube for video.)

Haven't heard anything recently, but they didn't sound as if they planned to give up. They were campaigning for more restrictions on who can own a gun (like background checks) and what type.

From what I read, the National Rifle Association didn't agree...