North Texas school district will let teachers carry guns
August 15th, 2008 by Syd
HARROLD, Texas — A tiny Texas school district may be the first in the nation to allow teachers and staff to pack guns for protection when classes begin later this month, a newspaper reported.
Trustees at the Harrold Independent School District approved a district policy change last October so employees can carry concealed firearms to deter and protect against school shootings, provided the gun-toting teachers follow certain requirements.
In order for teachers and staff to carry a pistol, they must have a Texas license to carry a concealed handgun; must be authorized to carry by the district; must receive training in crisis management and hostile situations and have to use ammunition that is designed to minimize the risk of ricochet in school halls.
Superintendent David Thweatt said the small community is a 30-minute drive from the sheriff’s office, leaving students and teachers without protection. He said the district’s lone campus sits 500 feet from heavily trafficked U.S. 287, which could make it a target.
"When the federal government started making schools gun-free zones, that’s when all of these shootings started. Why would you put it out there that a group of people can’t defend themselves? That’s like saying ’sic ‘em’ to a dog," Thweatt said in Friday’s online edition of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Thweatt said officials researched the policy and considered other options for about a year before approving the policy change. He said the district also has various other security measures in place to prevent a school shooting.
"The naysayers think (a shooting) won’t happen here. If something were to happen here, I’d much rather be calling a parent to tell them that their child is OK because we were able to protect them," Thweatt said…
Source: chron.com
I think this is a tremendously positive development, although I bet the school district takes a car load full of crap about it from the criminal empowerment gang. When my kids were in school, I would have been happy to know that some of the teachers were discreetly armed. “Gun-free zones” are just “free-fire zones” for psychopaths. Sadly, it has been proven too many times.
I’m glad to see this, and I truly hope more embrace the concept
My best friend is a vocational teacher. This coming year they were briefed that one of their new students, a large young man, was transferred from another school because he has “anger management issues” and if he decides to walk out of class “don’t try to stop him.”
And teachers there have nothing they can legally defend themselves with.
I have another good friend who’s a reference librarian. She’s also an avid, practiced shooter. The librarians are told that if someone comes in and starting shooting the kids or other patrons to “throw a book at them”.
And yes, it worries me.