The other day it was suggested that teachers be armed while working in schools. Yes, that’s what I heard — arm teachers with lethal weapons to ward off potential mass shooters in schools.
I thought this was a spoof or a very bad joke. But the speaker appeared to be serious. Very serious. So I took it seriously. Not because the message made sense but because it was coming from the President of the United States.
Do you remember a President ever suggesting that teachers be armed? Teachers actually carrying guns into classrooms and through the school halls? Being a military veteran and a teacher I was amazed — and disheartened.
So I contacted the head of the department in the college where I teach. The first question I asked was, “So where are we going to keep the gun rack? And the ammo magazines? And the gun cleaning kits? And the gun holsters? And the practice targets? And the phone numbers for the lawyers we’ll need when someone is shot or killed accidentally?”
He didn’t have an answer. Neither does the person who came up with this suggestion in the first place.
True story — unfortunately.