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Man, if this only caught on...
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/12/18...#ixzz2FT6br5pN
State Representative-elect Jason Villalba:
And Perry yesterday:
Lawmakers and educators in Texas say the way to guard against school shootings like last Friday's at a Connecticut elementary school is to make sure teachers can shoot back.
While the rampage that left 20 young children and six adults dead in a small Northeastern community has sparked a national debate on gun control, assault weapons and a culture of violence, David Thweatt, superintendent of the 103-student Harrold Independent School District in Wilbarger County, said his teachers are armed and ready to protect their young charges.
“We give our ‘Guardians’ training in addition to the regular Texas conceal-and-carry training,” Thweatt, whose school is about three hours northwest of Dallas, told FoxNews.com. “It mainly entails improving accuracy…You know, as educators, we don’t have to be police officers and learn about Miranda Rights and related procedures. We just have to be accurate.”
Thweatt is the architect of “The Guardian Plan,” a blueprint for arming school staff, including teachers, that may be catching on, at least in the Lone Star state. Teachers there are allowed to have weapons in the classroom, as Thweatt's faculty members do, but State Attorney General Greg Abbott suggested Monday that lawmakers may consider ways to encourage the practice statewide.
"Bearing arms whether by teachers and guards and things like that will be all a part of more comprehensive policy issues for the legislature to take up in the coming weeks," Abbott said. "And you can be assured in the aftermath of what happened in Connecticut that these legislators care dearly about the lives of students at their schools and they will evaluate all possible measures that are necessary to protect those lives," he said.
More momentum for the idea is evidenced by Austin gun shop dealer Crocket Keller, who announced his store will now extend the same discount on firearm purchases to teachers as it does to veterans.
Thweatt said there have been no incidents since October 2007, when his district adopted the plan giving an unspecified number of teachers and school staff -- dubbed "Guardians" -- authority to carry concealed weapons on school premises. Participating staff are anonymous and known only to Thweatt and the school board, which must approve each application for an employee to become a Guardian. They receive a small stipend annually.
“We’re 18 miles and 30 minutes from the nearest police station," Thweatt said. "So we are our first responders. If something happened here, we would have to protect our children. You know, police officers are true, everyday heroes in my book, but one of them once told me something very revealing. He said, ‘Ninety-five percent of the time, we get to the scene late.’ I can’t afford to let that happen.”
Each Guardian must obtain a Texas conceal-and-carry permit, and must lock-and-load their weapons with “frangible” bullets that break apart when colliding with a target. “They go through people,” assured Thweatt.
“They’re very similar to what the air marshals use. The bullets are glued together with polymers, and we insist upon them because we don’t want the bullet to ricochet off a wall after it’s fired and hit a child.”
Thweatt says parents have embraced The Guardian Plan, a fact evidenced by the transfer rate into his school district. “We’re a high-transfer district,” he told FoxNews.com, “which means only 18 percent of students come to the school because they live in the district. The rest transfer in or choose to come here from other districts.”
There’s a simple thread, Thweatt says, that binds together many of the mass shootings that have recently rocked the U.S.: They happened in places where the shooter knew there was going to be little resistance.
“These shooters, even though they are evil and have mental problems, they inevitably know where they are going,” explained Thweatt. “They are going where they won’t get any resistance. Let’s put it this way, would you put a sign in front of your house that says, ‘I am against guns. You will find no resistance here?’ That would be a stupid thing to do. You’re going to invite people who like to take advantage of helpless individuals.
“Would my policy have stopped this?” Thweatt asked. “Nobody knows for sure or for 100 percent, but what we do know is that active shooters go where there is no one there to resist. The Guardian Plan addresses that fact.”
While the rampage that left 20 young children and six adults dead in a small Northeastern community has sparked a national debate on gun control, assault weapons and a culture of violence, David Thweatt, superintendent of the 103-student Harrold Independent School District in Wilbarger County, said his teachers are armed and ready to protect their young charges.
“We give our ‘Guardians’ training in addition to the regular Texas conceal-and-carry training,” Thweatt, whose school is about three hours northwest of Dallas, told FoxNews.com. “It mainly entails improving accuracy…You know, as educators, we don’t have to be police officers and learn about Miranda Rights and related procedures. We just have to be accurate.”
Thweatt is the architect of “The Guardian Plan,” a blueprint for arming school staff, including teachers, that may be catching on, at least in the Lone Star state. Teachers there are allowed to have weapons in the classroom, as Thweatt's faculty members do, but State Attorney General Greg Abbott suggested Monday that lawmakers may consider ways to encourage the practice statewide.
"Bearing arms whether by teachers and guards and things like that will be all a part of more comprehensive policy issues for the legislature to take up in the coming weeks," Abbott said. "And you can be assured in the aftermath of what happened in Connecticut that these legislators care dearly about the lives of students at their schools and they will evaluate all possible measures that are necessary to protect those lives," he said.
More momentum for the idea is evidenced by Austin gun shop dealer Crocket Keller, who announced his store will now extend the same discount on firearm purchases to teachers as it does to veterans.
Thweatt said there have been no incidents since October 2007, when his district adopted the plan giving an unspecified number of teachers and school staff -- dubbed "Guardians" -- authority to carry concealed weapons on school premises. Participating staff are anonymous and known only to Thweatt and the school board, which must approve each application for an employee to become a Guardian. They receive a small stipend annually.
“We’re 18 miles and 30 minutes from the nearest police station," Thweatt said. "So we are our first responders. If something happened here, we would have to protect our children. You know, police officers are true, everyday heroes in my book, but one of them once told me something very revealing. He said, ‘Ninety-five percent of the time, we get to the scene late.’ I can’t afford to let that happen.”
Each Guardian must obtain a Texas conceal-and-carry permit, and must lock-and-load their weapons with “frangible” bullets that break apart when colliding with a target. “They go through people,” assured Thweatt.
“They’re very similar to what the air marshals use. The bullets are glued together with polymers, and we insist upon them because we don’t want the bullet to ricochet off a wall after it’s fired and hit a child.”
Thweatt says parents have embraced The Guardian Plan, a fact evidenced by the transfer rate into his school district. “We’re a high-transfer district,” he told FoxNews.com, “which means only 18 percent of students come to the school because they live in the district. The rest transfer in or choose to come here from other districts.”
There’s a simple thread, Thweatt says, that binds together many of the mass shootings that have recently rocked the U.S.: They happened in places where the shooter knew there was going to be little resistance.
“These shooters, even though they are evil and have mental problems, they inevitably know where they are going,” explained Thweatt. “They are going where they won’t get any resistance. Let’s put it this way, would you put a sign in front of your house that says, ‘I am against guns. You will find no resistance here?’ That would be a stupid thing to do. You’re going to invite people who like to take advantage of helpless individuals.
“Would my policy have stopped this?” Thweatt asked. “Nobody knows for sure or for 100 percent, but what we do know is that active shooters go where there is no one there to resist. The Guardian Plan addresses that fact.”
State Representative-elect Jason Villalba:
Add a gun to a school to protect that school from gun violence.
It's extreme, admits State Representative-elect Jason Villalba (R-Dallas), but he believes it's what Texas needs.
"This isn't about placing guns in schools; this is about expanding law enforcement," Villalba said. "Expanding the school resource officer program so faculty like teachers, principals, or administrators can have the same kind of deputized rights to utilize deadly force in an emergency situation only."
He will file legislation this week giving school districts the authority to create what he calls "school marshals." He likens the concept to federal air marshals.
"This is a last line of defense — a break glad in case of emergency situation," he said. "This is not a school monitor, not someone breaking up fights. This is a covert officer who has been trained by law enforcement to be able to be a first responder in the most egregious situation that we can possibly imagine."
"People have mischaracterized what we're talking about," Villalba added. "It's not a 'guns in school' bill. It's an expansion of 'law enforcement to protect our kids' bill."
He calls it the Protection of Texas Children Act. Whoever is chosen as a "school marshal" would undergo intensive training, and would be authorized to carry a gun on campus. That person would be able to utilize lethal force in the case of an armed attack.
These school marshals would be undercover. No student, parent, or fellow teacher would know they were carrying a gun. They'd provide their own weapon, and under terms of the proposal, there could be one marshal per 400 students.
The American Federation of Teachers is opposed to Villalba's scheme.
"I think it opens up much more risk for students and educators that are on that campus," said Rena Honea, President of Alliance/AFT. "We're talking about a place that is meant to be for education. A teacher's job — first and foremost — is to educate the students they see every day — not to be the last line of defense for someone that's got a gun."
"I think a much more commonsense approach to the problem is to adequately fund human and health services, where mental issues can be treated in an appropriate way," Honea added.
Villalba stressed the marshal program he envisions would not be mandatory. It would be an option for school districts, should they so choose.
"I acknowledge this is not the most desirable of solutions," he conceded, "but the question I asked parents is: 'If your child was in that situation that these children were in, in Connecticut, would you want legislation like this in place?' And overall, they said, 'Yes, we do. We want a last line of defense to protect our kids.'"
It's extreme, admits State Representative-elect Jason Villalba (R-Dallas), but he believes it's what Texas needs.
"This isn't about placing guns in schools; this is about expanding law enforcement," Villalba said. "Expanding the school resource officer program so faculty like teachers, principals, or administrators can have the same kind of deputized rights to utilize deadly force in an emergency situation only."
He will file legislation this week giving school districts the authority to create what he calls "school marshals." He likens the concept to federal air marshals.
"This is a last line of defense — a break glad in case of emergency situation," he said. "This is not a school monitor, not someone breaking up fights. This is a covert officer who has been trained by law enforcement to be able to be a first responder in the most egregious situation that we can possibly imagine."
"People have mischaracterized what we're talking about," Villalba added. "It's not a 'guns in school' bill. It's an expansion of 'law enforcement to protect our kids' bill."
He calls it the Protection of Texas Children Act. Whoever is chosen as a "school marshal" would undergo intensive training, and would be authorized to carry a gun on campus. That person would be able to utilize lethal force in the case of an armed attack.
These school marshals would be undercover. No student, parent, or fellow teacher would know they were carrying a gun. They'd provide their own weapon, and under terms of the proposal, there could be one marshal per 400 students.
The American Federation of Teachers is opposed to Villalba's scheme.
"I think it opens up much more risk for students and educators that are on that campus," said Rena Honea, President of Alliance/AFT. "We're talking about a place that is meant to be for education. A teacher's job — first and foremost — is to educate the students they see every day — not to be the last line of defense for someone that's got a gun."
"I think a much more commonsense approach to the problem is to adequately fund human and health services, where mental issues can be treated in an appropriate way," Honea added.
Villalba stressed the marshal program he envisions would not be mandatory. It would be an option for school districts, should they so choose.
"I acknowledge this is not the most desirable of solutions," he conceded, "but the question I asked parents is: 'If your child was in that situation that these children were in, in Connecticut, would you want legislation like this in place?' And overall, they said, 'Yes, we do. We want a last line of defense to protect our kids.'"
And Perry yesterday:
NORTH RICHLAND HILLS — Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Monday he supports letting local school districts decide whether letting teachers and administrators carry guns on campus is the best way to make schools safer.
Perry spoke to the Northeast Tarrant County Tea Party, addressing the massacre in Newtown, Connecticut that left 20 children and six adults dead inside their elementary school.
The governor called it an evil act. "I hope everyone will reflect on how fleeting life can be," he said. "We have to do everything we can to make sure those types of evils are restricted the best they can be."
There will be plenty of time to have conversations about gun rights, he said, but Perry stressed the need to look at how mental health patients are treated and cared for.
"One thing I hope I don't see is knee-jerk reaction from Washington, where they come in and think they know the answers," he said.
Perry drew a round of applause when he talked about Harrold, Texas, a community that lets teachers and administrators who are properly permitted and trained to carry weapons on campus.
He said he believes local school districts should be afforded that right, and he supports expanding the places guns can be carried.
"In the state of Texas, if you go through the process, have been trained, and you are a handgun-licensed individual, you should be able to carry a gun anywhere in the state," Perry said.
He added that private property owners should make their own determinations.
Perry spoke to the Northeast Tarrant County Tea Party, addressing the massacre in Newtown, Connecticut that left 20 children and six adults dead inside their elementary school.
The governor called it an evil act. "I hope everyone will reflect on how fleeting life can be," he said. "We have to do everything we can to make sure those types of evils are restricted the best they can be."
There will be plenty of time to have conversations about gun rights, he said, but Perry stressed the need to look at how mental health patients are treated and cared for.
"One thing I hope I don't see is knee-jerk reaction from Washington, where they come in and think they know the answers," he said.
Perry drew a round of applause when he talked about Harrold, Texas, a community that lets teachers and administrators who are properly permitted and trained to carry weapons on campus.
He said he believes local school districts should be afforded that right, and he supports expanding the places guns can be carried.
"In the state of Texas, if you go through the process, have been trained, and you are a handgun-licensed individual, you should be able to carry a gun anywhere in the state," Perry said.
He added that private property owners should make their own determinations.
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