Should Teachers Carry Guns?

Should teachers be armed? The quick answer is “Fuck no!” The rest of this post will be the long answer. Remember when teachers would tell you to raise your hands in class? Who knew there'd be a point where you would be doing it so you didn't get shot? I'm gonna be straight with you. I don't think most of the people that own guns should own guns. I don't even know anyone that I would trust 100% with a weapon, not even myself. Arming teachers is in the news today more than yesterday because a Seaside High School teacher accidentally injured three students when his gun went off in class.

Dennis Alexander is a reserve police officer, former Peace Corps volunteer, and is all about being helpful in the community. By all accounts he is a good guy and a great teacher. He just happened to fire off a shot in class that hurt three students. There are conflicting reports as to why he had his weapon out in the first place. There is no question he should not have had the damned thing in class as it is illegal to do so in California even if they have a right to conceal license.. Some reports say he was teaching students how to disarm someone, another says he was teaching public safety awareness. Either way a bullet was fired, hit the ceiling, and fragments injured three students.

Oh, and none of this was reported. A students' father had to file a police report after his son came home bloody. He stated “He's shaken up, but he's going to be OK. I'm just pretty upset that no one told us anything and we had to call the police ourselves to report it.” Sand City Police Chief Brian Ferrante said “I have concerns about why he was displaying a loaded firearm in a classroom. We will be looking into that.”

In case you're wondering as of this post there have been 14 school shootings in the U.S since the beginning of the year and today a walk out is planned across the nation regarding gun violence and safety. The Superintendent's Office sent a letter to students parents saying “We want to make you aware of an accident that occurred in the Administration of Justice class today at Seaside High School. As some of you may know, the teacher is a reserve police officer. Today, during class, the teacher accidentally discharged his firearm during a lesson while it was pointed at the ceiling. Debris from the ceiling then fell. Upon learning of the incident, our Human Resources department, school site administration and the Seaside Police Department immediately began investigating the incident, including interviewing students in the class. We will also have counseling services available for students. Due to the nature of this personnel incident, we are unable to share any other details. The teacher has been placed on administrative leave for the duration of the on-going investigation. The safety of your student is always our top priority, and we will continue to remain vigilant in our efforts to keep them safe while they are under our care.”

Alexander, if this had not occurred, would have been used for those that believe that teachers should be armed to protect their students as the perfect example. He is a reserve cop and a teacher. That is the perfect combination. Yeah, you could say it was an accident and that accidents happen. If I were a parent (thank god I'm not!) I would not like to get a phone call saying that was kid was accidentally shot...in school...by a teacher...while seated at their desk...in math class.

U.S school shootings so far this year.

In the midst of all of this talk of whether or not teachers should have guns, which guns should and should not be banned and protecting kids everyone is overlooking the elephant in the room. A lot of teachers are fucking nuts! Think about it! Think of every teacher you ever had. There was likely one you wanted to bone, one who wanted to bone you (and probably did it you were born after 2001 the way they get down these days), and a few that you knew went home and licked electrical sockets. We all had a crazy teacher and now people are pretending that isn't a thing. Its very much a thing.

This country is having a hard enough time vetting out police that won't shoot my Black ass because my fingers look like gun barrels and we wanna give one of the least appreciated, lowest paying, underfunded professionals weapons? How many parents reading this even know their kids teachers names? What do you know about their personal life? Again, thankfully I am not a parent because my nosy ass would know everything about my child's teacher. I want to know if you have a gun. I want to know what medications you are taking. Fuck your privacy. If my kid went on a field trip they would have to get my signature in case they happened to fall into the La Brea Tar Pits and died, but I gotta just trust that a teacher with a goddamn gun? Bullshit.

So what's the answer? When people write shit like this they end it without a answer and allow crazy people in the comments section to come up with one. That's not how Dantania works. This is not a cheerocracy. This is a Dantetership. We need to just accept that people are gonna get shot. This goes for kids, adults, and animals. It's just gonna happen. You can never remove guns from the streets. If you as a parent own a gun your kid knows it and if they want it they will get it. “I keep it in a safe!” Cool story. Your kid knows how to get it because they know you are the same person that asks for help when you get locked out of your Facebook account. “I have trained them to respect weapons!” Word? I'm sure they'll tell the jury that in court during their trial for assault and/or murder. They'll also bring up the fact that everyone in the house is on some form of medication.

It is dark, shitty, and negative but this is what we as a country have allowed to happen. You can't make it so easy to kill another person be it by gun, hands, vehicle (because texting while driving isn't dangerous, right?), or because they took the blue pill instead of the red one and think that by making gun laws everything will be fixed. Okay. This is getting far too negative even for me. My legit answer is an open book policy.

I don't want to take your gun away but I do want to know if you take medications that may affect your behavior. This includes anti-depression medication, weed, and cocaine. I want to know how often you drink alcohol and if your family has a history or alcoholism. I want to know if you meditate or if you even know how to relax. I want to know your criminal history. All of it. I want to know if you are responsible enough to own a gun and how often you train to use it. Sadly, even with all of this information known, a kid could still get shot in class. During math. While seated.