Rather that considering just the feeeeeelz, what do the facts tell us? Teachers carrying firearms already exist in certain jurisdictions, what are the experiences in schools in those jurisdictions? Utah is one such place.
I don't want more uniformed cops in schools. That's security theater, like the TSA. A smart shooter would take out the armed cop first.
Nevada had an idea, about 10 years ago, but funding dried up when the big recession hit. Volunteer teachers could undergo law enforcement training, both in legalities as well as firearms handling. Upon certification they would be reserve sheriff deputies, to be called into active service if the situation called for it. They would be the first line of defense in the extremely unlikely event of a school shooting, and would stand down when full-time law enforcement arrived. Paying such teachers a thousand or two dollars a year extra would certainly be much cheaper than paying for a full-time police officer, and would have the added benefit that their identities as reserve law enforcement officers would be unknown both to students, shooters, and other teachers.
You're a fool if you think a hundred million Americans would surrender their legal firearms. You're a bigger fool if you think that criminals would surrender theirs. So if you're overly concerned about the extremely unlikely event of a school shooter at a particular school, how would you recommend that state and local governments respond? If you have a better idea than proposed above, I'd like to hear it.
As an aside, do you support the FFDO program which, post-9/11, armed volunteer airline pilots?
Update, 3/26/18: It seems Texas already has such a program:
Before we reflexively expend our political will for action on more futile gun laws, people should consider a Texas program that has already proven effective.
Texas allows school districts to approve “marshals” or “guardians” as the last line of defense against a shooter. Under this program, faculty members volunteer to keep a firearm within reach in case the unthinkable happens. They undergo mental health screenings and rigorous firearm safety training — in some cases they are held to a higher standard than police officers.
In an active shooter situation, law enforcement takes roughly three minutes to respond on a good day (through no fault of their own). It’s disturbing to consider the damage that can be inflicted in that amount of time. Only school marshals — who, contrary to the media portrayal, represent a select few trained and capable staff members — can deliver response times measured in seconds rather than minutes.
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What's effective here is following the Discipline Plan, without exceptions and having alternative placements. The plan has the nonspecial needs disruptor walked to an AP at first disruption, then in meetings with family (and maybe family court judge) to determine placement options where student can succeed academically, as well as support services. We do have mental health on campus, as well as psych, social worker, nurse and there is security in every hallway who will walk a disruptor out. All students in the middle and high school have an entry procedure -- if you aren't ready to learn in class, you report to your choice of psych, social worker, guidance, mental health clinic, AP instead of entering. If you change your mind, you exit or if you disrupt, security (every hallway has security) will escort you out. Its working well...the last gang knife fight was 10 years ago...took two years to make the school peaceful and convince those who think rules are for others to stop doing large group disruptions (they would exit their assigned class in groups o f 6-15 and disrupt at the doors of other classes).
What is not working in engagement. The dc are happy to come to class, but they are not going to strive and they resent the idea that they have to work each class period..and that's with taking reading out of the expectations in high school in the non AP level classes. Social promotion is not producing acheivers...its producing people who can pass the time pleasantly.
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