GuyRelford
Master
I have submitted the following editorial to the Indianapolis Star:
Guy
Equip Teachers to Defend Themselves and their Students
No one in America likes the idea of sending our kids to receive an education in an armed fortress – particularly an elementary school. But unfortunately, we have learned the hard way that we live in a world that is also occupied by evil and insanity. And for reasons incomprehensible to any sane mind, our children have become a target. With that horrific reality in mind, the question becomes – what should we do? It doesn’t matter whether you’re a Republican, Democrat or Libertarian, a liberal or a conservative, no rational person can debate that we need to do a better job of protecting our kids while they’re at school. So what to do?
We’re hearing a lot about the need to “pass a law,” and President Obama wants to see legislation on his desk that will regulate “assault weapons” and magazine capacity. The NRA wants to see an armed guard in every school and has implemented its National School Shield program to help make that happen. The common theme and a point of agreement is the need to “do something.”
One can reasonably question whether any law would have prevented any of the mass shootings we’ve endured in the past. Obviously, there are already laws against the possession of a gun on school property – and murder. The worst school shooting in American history at Virginia Tech did not involve an “assault weapon.” If a person is already committed to a plan that involves the slaughter of as many innocents as possible and culminates in suicide, one can reasonably question what law would stand in his way. Of course, the answer is none.
We’ve also heard that laws should be amended so as to allow guns on school property, so that teachers or staff would have the capacity to defend themselves and their students. In Indiana, however, no such amendment to our laws is necessary.
Ind. Code §35-47-9-1(2) already allows the possession of firearms on school property by anyone “employed or authorized” by a school to act as a security guard. There is absolutely nothing in Indiana law that would prevent a school system from authorizing teachers, staff or administrators to act in that capacity and to legally possess a gun on school property. Anyone in possession of a valid Indiana License to Carry Handgun would also be exempt from the Federal “Gun Free School Zones” Act, which has an exception for anyone licensed to carry a gun by the state in which a school is located.
Indiana schools have the option – today – to allow teachers or staff to possess firearms to protect their students. Should they do so? Only school administrators have the ability to answer that question. But any plan to arm teachers must necessarily include several features to make it viable, effective and safe:
The plan must be voluntary. Other than a few semesters teaching “Introduction to the Law and the Legal System” at Butler, I have never been a teacher. Nonetheless, I am sure that most teachers did not pursue a career in education because they envisioned themselves acting as an armed security guard and confronting the next Adam Lanza with a gun. But I have also spoken to several teachers since the horror at Sandy Hook Elementary School who are more than willing – even passionate – about wanting to have the ability to meet force with force in the event that evil ever visits their school. And as parents and grandparents, many of us don’t want the only thing standing between our children and a gun in the hands of a deranged monster to be a pane of glass in a locked door. Teachers who want to participate in an armed security program should have the option to do so. But no teacher who prefers not to be involved should ever be asked – much less required – to participate.
Security of firearms is paramount. No one wants firearms to be accessible to students or other unauthorized persons in a school. Teachers may be called upon to break up fights or interact with students in many other ways that could allow access to a carried firearm if not adequately secured. For years, I have taught “retention training” that involves techniques to prevent anyone from “snatching” a firearm carried in a holster – but a school is such a sensitive environment that more steps should be taken to secure firearms. The good news is that those options are readily available. For example, there are a variety of “quick-access’ gun safes on the market today. They can be opened in as little as two seconds with the entry of a coded combination – and if anyone enters the wrong combination more than twice, they lock securely and can only be opened with a key. Other gun safes read fingerprints. Such a safe mounted under a teacher’s desk or in a secure file cabinet would offer an optimum combination of accessibility and security.
Training for participants must be mandatory. My belief is that anyone who carries a gun should be thoroughly trained. That belief becomes a conviction when it comes to the possession of a gun on school property. School systems would have the prerogative to identify the training requirements necessary to receive authorization to possess a gun in a school, and that training should be extensive. It should also include a thorough education on the laws of Indiana that relate to the possession of a gun and the justifiable use of deadly force in self-defense. To facilitate that process, my company, Tactical Firearms Training, LLC, has offered free training to anyone who presents a valid Indiana License to Carry Handgun and written authorization to carry a gun on school property. We do not presume that our courses would satisfy a school system’s training requirements to possess a gun on school grounds, but they would certainly form an excellent foundation.
Allowing faculty or staff members to possess a gun on school property is obviously an important and sensitive issue and one to be considered carefully. But as I contemplate the horrific experience of the students and staff at Sandy Hook, I can’t avoid the conclusion that if I were one of those teachers, I would have strongly preferred to meet Adam Lanza with a gun in my hands, knowing I had the training and the tools to protect my students and myself. And to me, that sounds like a far superior option than simply listening to the screams and the gunshots, shielding my students with my unprotected body and praying that the door to my classroom doesn’t open.
There is no question that the teachers and administrators at Sandy Hook were incredible heroes. While recognizing that heroism, we should also realize that Indiana law allows us to equip our teachers to better protect our kids – without sacrificing their own lives in the process.
Guy A. Relford
The Law Offices of Guy A. Relford
Tactical Firearms Training, LLC
Guy