Geoff Oldfather: Teachers should be allowed to carry guns to school
By Geoff Oldfather
Article With Polls
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2009/jan/04/teachers-left-out-of-gun-06/?partner=yahoo_headlinesSunday, January 4, 2009
MARTIN COUNTY ? We entrust teachers with the lives of our children and give them enormous responsibility.
We expect them to not only teach "reading, writing, 'rithmetic" and a dozen other subjects, we increasingly expect them to handle responsibilities like sex education and "anger management" and other issues that used to be dealt with in the home.
Why then do we deprive teachers of their basic right to self-defense?
Take the question further. If it involved self-defense at a school campus, the lives of our children are probably at stake as well ? and we're going to expect teachers to protect our children with what? A textbook?
It's a valid question as the Martin County School District and other districts re-write their policies prohibiting firearms at schools to be in line with Florida's "bring your guns to work" law that lawmakers approved last April and took effect in July.
The law allows Florida residents with concealed weapons permits to keep firearms in their cars at work, even if employers have a policy prohibiting firearms.
Except at schools.
Other workplaces where you can't have a firearm in your car are correctional facilities, nuclear power plants, military and government buildings and anywhere explosives are stored.
The exception for teachers, especially, does not make sense.
"Why is it that a person can be trusted on one side of a school parking lot and not on the other side?" Stuart attorney Jeff Kirsch asked.
Kirsch is an advocate for responsible firearms ownership, as I am. He's handled firearms-ownership cases and is chairman of the National Rifle Association Foundation's Martin County chapter annual dinner and fundraiser.
"I think teachers ought to be treated like anyone else. Schools used to be like any other job and for whatever reason we've now carved out some kind of 'safety zone,' and it just doesn't make sense," Kirsch said. "We don't trust teachers to make the right kinds of judgments? Isn't that what they're paid for?"
Superintendent Nancy Kline calls it "a tough issue."
"Should there be adequate security? Absolutely, and we're reviewing with the (Martin County) sheriff's office the levels of security at all campuses," Kline said.
"But should that be something teachers are involved in? I don't know," Kline said.
I do.
We don't like the idea of guns on an airliner but today's reality means pilots are packing heat.
So, teachers should be allowed to have firearms in their cars even at school. I'll take it further: Considering how vulnerable our campuses and our students are, if teachers are trained and have concealed weapons permits that require background checks and training, they should be allowed to carry them wherever they go.
Even in the classroom.
Martin County columnist Geoff Oldfather can be reached at (772) 221-4217 or geoff.oldfather@scripps.com. Plus, catch Geoff Sunday mornings from 8 to 9 a.m. for live talk radio on The Coast, 101.3 FM, or the Coast Forum.
