Call to 'Arms': Should We Really Arm Teachers And Put God Back In Schools?

 

Relax folks. I'm not advocating what the title of this blog implies. Far from it, in fact. Exactly the opposite, in fact. It's meant to be tongue in cheek, in fact. It's meant to be snark, in fact. It's also meant to help drive home a serious point about something that seems to pop up in our society following virtually every mass school shooting:

That there's one helluva lot more to these two issues than simply placing a gun and a bible in a teacher's hands.

So, that being said, and in that context, let's end this discussion regarding arming teachers and putting God back in schools once and for all, shall we? Sorry....rhetorical.

Truth be known, these two issues are heating up....again. So, this blog post may be in vain, but all y'all can't blame a guy for trying, right?!

With President Biden's recent executive actions addressing the gun violence epidemic in this country, the debate on gun reform (I prefer this label rather than gun control) and putting God back in our schools are once again front and center in the debate over said gun reform. There are an awful lot of strawman arguments out there on each of these very contentious issues although we aren't hearing nearly as much of those from the notorious National Rifle Association (NRA) here lately. Seems they're in some pretty deep doodoo as we speak. 

Even without the NRA, though, lots of folks seem hell bent on providing their own opinions.

Politicians and media talking heads come immediately to my mind when I think of gun reform discussions.....and not necessarily in a good way. Both have uttered some pretty vitriolic rhetoric in my opinion. I won't go into details because if I did, this blog post would take forever to get done. Suffice to say politicians and talking heads have been vocal regarding the two subjects of this blog post on numerous occasions.

But I digress.

Sadly, factual data to support gun reform advocacy is still in short supply. A lot of why that is can be placed squarely on the shoulders of the NRA due to their steadfast and powerful opposition to any kind of gun reform in decades past. I believe they have been singularly responsible for establishing road-blocks to gathering and analyzing gun violence data more than any other organization or individual.

There are facts, to be sure, but factual data to support one's positions, opinions, or whatever are woefully lacking. Thanks NRA....or not. 

Don't get me wrong. It's getting better, and I believe the President's executive actions will ultimately help move that metaphorical needle in that direction, especially now that the NRA doesn't seem to be nearly as much of a force for opposition as they have been in years past.

With that in mind, and in the meantime, I'm going to make what I consider to be a tongue-in-cheek proposal (the real subject of this blog post) based on some of the things I've been seeing regarding pro-gun advocacy to arm teachers and put God back in schools. Yeah, I know....it sounds like I'm beating a dead horse here, but, truth be known, those two issues are once again raising their ugly heads in discussions on social media and in political circles.

Before I begin, though, I want to make it absolutely and emphatically clear that I personally believe even the idea of arming school staff in any capacity is absurd with the single exception of properly vetted, trained, and certified School Resource Officers! 

I also believe putting God 'back' into schools is equally absurd! Why? Because God was never in schools to begin with. Putting God 'back' in schools is a play on words.....nothing more. 

Because these two issues appear to be at the forefront of quite a few 'discussions' I keep seeing, here's my proposal: 

In order for us to gather and analyze empirical data we will need to conduct a study. A study like this may or may not be scientific in its approach (likely not), but it should yield some definitive, albeit potentially flawed and controversial, data/information for us to look at. The study under consideration would include the following:

• School districts across the U.S. (in order to get a definitive cross-section of urban vs rural perspectives), on a volunteer basis, will designate one school in their district, be it a high school, a middle school, or an elementary school (doesn't matter which) as a school in which ALL teachers and teaching applicants, maintenance personnel, and administrators will be required to carry loaded guns as part of their job responsibilities. Type of guns will be determined by the individual district before implementing this directive.
• The designated schools will eliminate 'gun free zones', meaning concealed and open carry will be allowed on campus....by anyone and everyone.
• All school personnel will be required to engage in adequate training on the use of both their guns and the use of lethal force. The definition of 'adequate' training will be determined by each school district participating in this study.
• All school personnel will be required to undergo rigorous psychological evaluations as a requirement to participate in the program prior to being accepted.
• Enrollment of children of the appropriate age group for the particular school will be voluntary. Parents will be the sole decision maker(s) regarding their children's attendance at said schools.
• 'God' will be brought into these schools by posting of the Ten Commandments in conspicuous areas throughout the campus (perhaps replacing those gun free zone signs that were taken down?). Children will be required to participate in prayer sessions led by teachers. Classes in religious teachings will be required as part of the school curriculum. As to which particular religion receives the most emphasis will be decided by the school district participating in the study. Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, etal are just a few to choose from.

Anything else anyone can think of? I'll be glad to consider adding it to the list.

If teachers are willing to carry and go through required weapons training, there should be no difficulty filling teaching positions, right?

Likewise, if maintenance personnel and administrators are willing to carry and go through required weapons training, there should be no problem filling those positions either, right?

If participating schools and communities are comfortable with the elimination of gun free zones, the probability anyone and everyone might be packing heat on their campus shouldn't be a problem either, right?

If parents feel more comfortable having their children in this type of educational/religious environment with armed teachers, administrators, and maintenance staff, the classrooms should be overflowing, right?

If teachers are comfortable acquiring the necessary religious credentials to fulfill their roles as being able to teach whichever religion is of primary emphasis in their school, there should be no problem filling those positions either, right?

Whether we see virtually full or virtually empty buildings as a result of this study should tell us all we need to know, right?

A nationwide study like this should help put to rest any argument either side has on the issues of arming teachers and bringing God 'back' into our schools, right?

Once the results are in, we can then have every school in the country conform to the results either way, right?

Sound silly? Sound idiotic? Well, that's the intended point of this proposed study.

My two cents.

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