SusieQOH

They outlawed machine guns in the 1930's but we now have guns just as dangerous. Maybe worse even. I don't know one gun from another. I don't understand how people think it's okay to have one. I just don't get it.
I know some people like guns to hunt and protect themselves. I'm not talking about them.
Teachers having guns? That's insane. I guess they think the answer to too many guns is more guns.

ekuw

The only way to really secure a school is to have one point of entry, with metal detectors, & guards screening/searching each person who enters...or wait, that sounds like a prison....Is this what we want for America? A police state? There is no easy answer to this, but we have to start by actually doing something. Not just talking and sending thoughts and prayers.

Faintly Artistic

As a home school mom of 5 and wife of a former teacher, there are answers to the school shooting problem. Unfortunately, no one wants to address the REAL issues. Our society is deteriorating from the inside out and we will have to take some serious steps to turn that around. This country has glorified violence and fostered a deep underlying current of disrespect and rebellion and general disregard for life or others in the younger generation. At this point, I'm not sure if anything can turn the tide. Banning guns won't stop it nor will arming teachers. It has to start at the level of each person taking responsibility for themselves and how they raise their children...

Stitchnripper

http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/...s/201212230224

RJLinkletter

As a teacher in the U.K. I find it so hard to understand the mindset in America of the gun culture generally. We had one mass school shooting around 20 years ago - much stricter laws came in and we have had no more since. Most people simply do not own a gun and do not feel the need to. Some still go hunting or to rifle ranges but it is much more closely monitored. Of course some criminals still have guns but not many. The majority of police don't have guns (my husband was a police officer). Our biggest concern over here at the moment is knife crime - still deadly and takes the lives of innocent teenagers but at least it cannot easily turn into a mass incident as with shooting.

If I was asked as a teacher to have a gun etc I would refuse but perhaps it is because we have a different culture here.

M.Elizabeth

Oh, so true.

Chasing Hawk

The lack of discipline at home, the loss of solid family values and no respect for anything or anybody is the major underlying issue. School officials and teachers have their hands tied by laws and regulations nowadays. There was a time when a child acted up in school the teachers were able to dole out a punishment. Whether that punishment was 500 sentences, time out or no recess, maybe a 250 word essay on improper behavior. None of that is allowed anymore. I found this out when my oldest son was acting up in class. I told his teacher to start giving his sentences 500 of them, she response was "We can't it's a form of child abuse". My jaw fell to the floor! I asked what she could do, "Basically I could tell him to behave and not do it again.", she said. That night my son wrote 500 sentences because I said so.

When my husband and I as well as a lot of us here were raised to show respect and were expected to obey the rules or face consequences. My husband and I both grew up with firearms in our homes. Never once did either one of us think of taking one out of the house without permission and supervision. Let alone take it to school and use it to inflict bodily harm.

Now kids can slap, punch, spit on and curse teachers and school officials with no repercussions. Law enforcement has the same problem. If we let the parents be parents and discipline their own children, we may see less disturbing behavior. I don't mean child abuse or anything like that, just old fashion discipline.

I am keeping mum about all this gun control and arming teachers and school personal. Too much of a volatile subject right now.

Jingle

If teachers can't punish students then they should report bad behavior to the parents and let them do it.
A lot of parents and school officials are too worried about the kids' self esteem. I am glad my kids are grown, Grandkids are too.
I can see a lot of screw ups on how one Great Granddaughter is being raised. At two years old Mommy tries to talk her into doing what she wants her to do.
No way could I be a parent now.

Onebyone

Outlawing guns is not the answer the same as outlawing hard drugs hasn't stopped the drug problem.

Children have so little respect for parents they will report any negative reaction from parents to teachers as being abuse. Teachers have to report what the child says and it snowballs. Parenting has become do what the little darlings want so they won't get mad. A teenager with power over the parents leads to big bad things.

jclinganrey

We desperately need to re-instate the Brady Act of 1983 but with a much longer waiting period and impose a ban on assault weapons. They are for combat and do not belong on our streets.