Guns N' Classrooms

Keep the guns out of my classroom | Ashley Lauren Samsa | Comment is free | theguardian.com: "If I were in Ohio, though, it's entirely possible that I could have been attending summer trainings on how to shoot guns on the run, how to shoot while navigating obstacles like narrow hallways and staircases, and how to anticipate the actions of a killer.

This training isn't just for police anymore. The Buckeye Firearms Association offered this class for teachers who wanted to learn how to effectively use a gun against an intruder to their school. The seminar drew over 1,400 applicants for 24 spots. It seems that teachers in Ohio and in the more than 30 other states which have proposed laws allowing teachers to carry firearms are taking National Rifle Association executive vice-president Wayne LaPierre's statement after the awful Newtown shooting to heart:"

The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.

The sheer number of teachers applying for the Buckeye Firearms Association seminar belies the fact that, when nearly 11,000 teachers were surveyed nationwide a month after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, 72.4% of teachers said that they would not bring a gun to school even if they could. Our nation is divided on this issue, especially after the brutal killing of 20 young children and 6 staff members in Newtown. Many believe teachers should be armed to protect the safety of the children, whether they want to or not.