So Much For Arming Teachers

So much for President Trump's proposal to arm teachers.

Today a high school social studies teacher in Dalton, Georgia was arrested for firing a shot in the classroom after barricading himself in a classroom. Fortunately, there were no injuries.

Last week, I argued against Trump's proposal. I subsequently elaborated on these arguments in an article proposal I sent to National Review Online (which politely declined to publish it). Here is a portion of that proposal:

President Trump argues, "These teachers love their students. I would rather have somebody that loves their students and wants to protect their students than somebody standing outside that doesn’t know anybody and doesn’t know the students.”Yet somehow I cannot imagine Trump wanting to arm the Dallas high school teacher who staged a mock assassination of him in her classroom last year. Who can say other teachers don't share the same sentiment? President Trump should be careful for what he wishes.

Even if most teachers wouldn't stage a mock assassination of President Trump do we really want to arm a teacher who wrote, "I want to kill children" on the classroom projector? Who can say if an armed teacher wouldn't use his or her gun against students or perhaps against other teachers. If a university professor can kill her colleagues at the University of Alabama in Huntsville then why couldn't the same happen at the elementary, middle or high school level? It is clear that Trump has given little thought to the legal liability involved in arming teachers much less contemplate whether school boards would want to assume such a risk.

Fortunately, a tragedy was averted today. But who can say there isn't another teacher who would act in such a manner? In light of today's event why would any school board in the country consider arming their teachers?