Will the NRA convince schools to arm teachers with guns?
For almost four years, the present administration in Washington has had to contend with a large segment of the American republic who seem, at times, to be barking mad with fear.
Represented in Congress by those of similar ilk are Americans who think the world is flat and who think church trumps state in all debates. With a clear and sober eye, President Barack Hussein Obama, has had to contend with a segment of this nation who believes he is the emissary of the ‘dark’ Muslim forces of evil around the globe.
Now the President’s sober eye will be turned to another of America’s long standing untouchable issues: gun control.
When I was a boy, I asked my father why he removed the firing pin from the Japanese rifle he brought home as a souvenir from the War in the Pacific? His answer to me and to all his sons was the same. ‘Because you might use it’ he said bluntly.
These were the bad old days of New York City, circa 1974, where a frightened eight year old saw how junkies high on angel dust were throwing old ladies off rooftops with regularity it seemed. New York averaged almost 2000 murders a year for over twenty years beginning in 1971, peaking in 1990 with over 2600 murders.
The Bronx was a zoo and Brooklyn wasn’t any better. New York was a city where shootings on subway trains were common and rape seemed even more common. Each day, the papers and television news had stories that seemed more horrid than the last. Then there were the mafia killings nearby.
The Obama administration has pushed Congress to delve into new ways of dealing with our long standing problems. In health care, employment and education, this administration’s attempts to turn around a 40-year cycle of covert inflation for Americans has brought down a wrath of fear for what the future may look like.
Like President Franklin Roosevelt in the 1930’s, President Obama also has sought to infuse in us a confidence as ‘one’ community despite the shrieks and disclaimers from the Republican Party about us being disparate parts and states (God v Godless, straight v gay, white v non white, Texas v New York).
The Democratic Party, since the 1960’s, has held that welfare and other social safety nets are untouchable despite the fact that they are often unwilling to confront the problems that arise with multi-generational joblessness and indolence. While the Democrats have, in many ways learned to curtail so much of their spending from the ‘Great Society’ era, they often ignore the very American right of an individual to better themselves.
At the same time, the Republicans have swept up powers in this nation under the triumvirate ideals of God, guns and money. Their latest emissaries of non elected fear mongering are Arkansas ex Governor and Minister Mike Huckabee, Wayne Lapierre of the NRA and Grover Norquist of the anti tax pledge that most Republicans in Congress have signed.
In league with their comrades, they have stonewalled in state houses and the Congress over abortion, gun control and taxes. In using the same tactics that have lasted far longer than McCarthyism itself, the Republicans have instilled a fear based logic that isolates even their followers from each other.
I learned marksmanship and gun safety on the rifle range of Camp Kunatah as a Boy Scout when I was eleven.
Seeing little abatement to the violence in New York City, at age 14, I again asked my father why we had no functioning gun in the house?
His focus this time was different for a son who may just have matured enough with age to understand that owning a gun did not ensure ones safety or liberty.
“Son, because I might use it. And because you can’t take it back.”
Hmmm.
Here was a man of middle age tutoring his youngest son in the ways of plain survival. A man who, in war, legally killed with firearms for our nation and yet knew in 1981, New York City still could not keep it’s citizens safe on street, bus, subway or at home.
A man who saw, up close, the consequences of his actions in war. A man who knew that having a firearm in the home meant the option of using it.
Minister Huckabee assumes the seemingly endless number of school or mass murders in the U.S. has everything to do with a lack of God in schools.
Meanwhile, Lapierre of the NRA advocates for guns in the hands of teachers and decries New Yorker Mike Bloomberg, mayor of what is now the safest city in America, for his campaign against Americans’ second amendment right to keep and bear arms.
During this Presidents first four years, there was little talk from the administration about gun control. Even so, NRA headWayne Lapierre wrote to his fear laden forces, just days before the last election, “ a sweeping gun ban aren’t just a possibility in a 2nd Obama term. They’re a near certainty.”
Given the extreme lethality of the weapon and hollow point bullets so effectively used to kill 28 of the 29 people shot in Connecticut on Friday, Mr. Lapierre may well get his way.
When the nuns in Catholic school saw a few of the boys weren’t playing nice with the football, they took the football away. Even if most of the boys were trying to play fairly, everyone suffered for the behavior of the few. This was the nuns way of instilling order, equality and overall, safety for everyone.
For the cruel and brutal murders of six-year-olds Avielle, Jesse and Catherine, Mr. Lapierre, may get his way. For the lives of 30-year- old Lauren and 47 year old Dawn, also killed senselessly on Friday with a legally owned weapon from the home of the killer, we will be coming to you.
Gun control isn’t about mental health, God or the right of Americans to secure their homes and persons. This is about the gun in the hands of too many humans whose propensity to use them far exceeds their ability to reason. You and your ilk have coddled the angry, the scared and the barking mad for too long. In doing so, you have also held us hostage to your weapons and your fear. Your right to keep and bear arms for your presumed safety does not exceed my right to equal safety without a firearm.
We are the nuns and we are coming to take your footballs away. You asked for this.
My father was smart enough to not allow a functioning firearm in a house with seven children. More than that, in a city that couldn’t keep his children safe, he was tough and he wasn’t afraid. And we all survived. Are you that tough, Mr. Lapierre?
Robert Emmet Mara has been in Baltimore since 2006. A native New Yorker, Robert came to Baltimore to do three things: work with kids, renovate houses and write a second book of fiction. Since his arrival, he has managed to do all three and more.
He has sought better oversight for his still blighted Harwood neighborhood from the city and has been asked to speak to various community association leaders on the subject of city agency relations.
I honestly couldn’t get through half of this article without having to stop. Seriously, it’s like something Rush Limbaugh would write, except with the opposite opinion, and dumber.
Quit using the deaths of children to try to push your ideas. If all the teachers were armed this wouldn’t have happened. Your father was an idiot to. How would he feel if a criminal broke into his home and killed his seven children because he no means of defense? Use your head you dumb ass liberal
Eva and Dean have the made the points for the conversation. More weaponry does not confirm safety. It only allows greater possibility for error, even with good people. In using my father as an example, the point I made was this: there were several occasions where he may have used a firearm in regard to his kids. A few times in real situations (like a home invasion) and a few times in rage as a result of violence perpetrated upon his kids. But he didn’t. As a result, he didn’t hurt anyone, he didn’t kill anyone, he didn’t go to jail and I had a father. He, like so many million of us, was smart enough to assume he wasn’t Dirty Harry. Believe me, growing up where I did, I respect the rage, anger and the impulse to arm. Still, arming ourselves to a greater degree is the exact opposite of what we should do. Our nation has done too many good things for humanity to allow this type of fear to override our expectations of safety for our kids.
Thanks for this common sense idea—In reference to the idea that guns don’t kill people—I am reminded that my car can be used as a weapon of mass destruction—The government gives me license to use it and tests me to make sure I am proficient in using it—I also am required to be insured to use it—The police have the right to stop me whenever they feel like I’m not using it safely and can arrest me if they think I’m not—and I’m taxed like hell for this privilege—Why can’t there be something like this in place for gun ownership—and why isn’t the NRA taking the lead on this rather than carrying on their usual cold dead fingers argument—Fear raises money to keep the lobby running—Not a bad gig—-How may other stupid things can we come up with to start a lobby for?
This tragedy has touched the hearts of every person who has heard about it. I live in a country (UK) where people are not even allowed, by law, to defend themselves even by using pepper spray, or a Taser, and run the risk of being prosecuted if they even HURT someone who breaks into their house in the dead of night, carrying heaven knows what sort of weapon, with who knows what intentions. Whilst our laws are so obviously wrong, so are yours. Why was this so obviously unbalanced person allowed access to weapons like this ? OK, his mother was a “gun nut” but she knew about her sons condition so why weren’t the weapons kept in a gun safe ? Don’t get me wrong, I’m an advocate for the ability to be allowed to defend oneself or property, and wish we had that enshrined in law (our government would be too terrified to allow US to be armed !) but there has to be a balance, maybe psyche testing alongside personal history would be in order. Assault weapons – definitely NO. Who needs them. Anyone who needs a M16 or AK to shoot a deer should not be shooting at it !!
Here’s a thought, you have a lot of ex military vets (as do we), why not give the well balanced, experienced in combat ones jobs as armed security in schools, hospitals, public buildings etc. There would be no need for teachers to try to defend kids (don’t arm them – it’s not their job) if an experienced, armed, ex-forces guy was there this would not have happened – the fool would have been dead as soon as he tried to force his way in ! Balance the guards against the school population – say a ratio of 1 – 30 kids & you create jobs, safeguard kids & maybe prevent any loonytoon trying this again !!
Just a thought from a “Limey”
If you want to protect our children and educate the teachers then please sign this petition. It is vital that the government knows how we feel about this situation and help to stop the sensless killing of children when can prevent it and or stop it in it’s tracks.
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/abolish-gun-free-zones-across-united-states-order-train-and-arm-teachers-and-principles-our-schools/mYb7T12J?utm_source=wh.gov&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=shorturl
I agree 100%. At least three teachers per school should be trained and allowed to have a pistol or taser to subdue -stop or slow down some one trying to harm the children. To go further, Anyplace a crowd gathers there should be someone with training and a weapon to help prevent future tradgedies.
We also need “School Marshals” like Air Marshals immediately. Here might be a new task for Homeland Security.
Common sense precautions like locking classroom doors – as with cockpit doors – should be immediately instituted.
The President should propose measures like double entrances to schools too so once in one door someone doesn’t have run of the place. Lock the kids behind a second internal entrance. And divide schools into lockable zones.
Too slow to train teachers. Until teachers are ready President should authorize rehiring of retired law enforcement pros and recruit veterans with relevant military experience to review all schools for security and stand guard at schools.
And hire more combat veterans to train as teachers, teachers aides, office staff, etc. so someone in school has experience.
and if they miss the perpetrator and hit a child is it still a good idea?! Being armed doesn’t necessarily prevent more tragedies, it opens the door to more fatalities
This country as a whole, especially our media who write ignorant articles like this one are mentally sick. Barack Obama himself is a baby killer. Look at his record on abortion. He chose to vote against a bill that would ban partial birth abortion. He himself, has the blood if the most vulnerable, helpless, and innocent of life on his hands, and yet he can stand up there in front of the nation and pretend to show emotion for the horrific and incalcuable loss of these families. That is the quintessences of hypocrisy. And now we have a nation who reelected a man who supports infanticide, crying gun control, but they hire a man who believes in killing innocent babies. This country is sick, mentally sick as a whole. You reelected a murder. If he had the opportunity to vote for a bill that could save thousandsof little babies but choose not too, then he is responsible for the loss of those little innocent babies lives. This country is going to hell. Stop your sanctimoniousnes and disengenuousness President. Look in the mirror. You are responible for more little lives lost than the evil demon who descended upon these precious, invaluable little lives. Wake up America. Stop this double standard. How can you expect things like this not to happend when you elect a baby killer to lead you?
so you resort to a “tu quoque” to distract from the main point of this article? Every president in the United States’ history could be “blamed” for jillions of deaths and that doesn’t solve a thing: tomorrow people will still die and you get to blame some more… does that make you feel morally superior?
First of all, this comment section does not state you have to comment on the article directly. If I choose to make a point that has nothing to do with the article that is my prerogative. It’s unbelievably amazing that you are more concerned that my comment has nothing to do with the article than you are your president is responsible for the death of thousands of innocent babies. Your response to my comment is even more proof that Americans, like yourself, can not ratiocinate, and are mentally sick.
Second, you are so mentally sick, that you believe because past presidents could be responsible for loss of life that somehow that justifies us turning a blind eye to the horror that is Barack Insane Obama’s voting record on partial birth abortion. Every President that has made decisions that have caused unnecessary loss of life should be held responsible, not just the evil man who is our president now.
Third, stating the facts is not claiming moral superiority. It’s simply that, stating the facts. Apparently, you need to take reading comprehension classes because no were in my last comment did I claim moral superiority. God knows very well, I’m extremely imperfect, but that doesn’t disqualify me to speak up for and defend the most innocent and helpless of life. The leaders of the most powerful nation should be morally superior, but when they are so deprave as to defend killing an innocent baby as a mothers constitutional right just because she doesn’t want to be burdened with a baby is as far away from moral superiority as you can get.
Fourth, it is shockingly scary, that instead of agreeing with me and expressing outrage for the presidents voting record regarding the protection of innocent babies, you are defending him and trying to excuse him for his murderous policies because “Every president in the United States’ history could be blamed for jillions of deaths.” Wow! I am at a loss for words. How could you show such callousness? How can your heart be so stone cold? How can you and millions of Americans not be calling for this mans resignation and imprisonment? I’ll answer that for you. It’s because more than half this country, and obviously judging by your comment, you as well, are mentally sick and void of rational thought. Millions of people voted for this murder, which tells me, there are millions of parents out there that agree with the presidents murderous stance and are most likely passing these flagitious and nefarious beliefs on down to their children. If these are the kinds of things our leaders, you, and parents of our nation are teaching our children, how can we expect them to have respect for life in it’s more developed stages when we teach them it’s okay to commit violence against life in it’s most earliest and defensible stages? Are you one of these people who voted for this murder? If you are, you are responsible for the loss of life as well. If someone hires an assassin, they are just as guilt for the murder of that person who is assassinated. If you voted for this wicked man, you are guilty as well.
cool story bro
all that to spout your paranoid and moralistic fears and hope that the rest of us will “wake up” to the TRUTH that you are privy to?
no, the rest of us will not don the tinfoil hat and follow you down the rabbit hole, no matter how much more “high and mighty” and “moral” you think that makes you
I wonder what his heroic Father would have done if confronted with a armed criminal during a home invasion in NYC ? Pulled out a gun witn no firing pin?
Perhaps this was a smart move if the father felt he was not responsible in potential use of a gun. Some people know they may have emotional or other mental health issues. Wish the people in CT had removed access for the emotionally disturbed person in their lives.
funny you should ask