The very idea of arming teachers is beyond the pale of sanity. I seriously think we need to address mental health issues in this country and particularly this evidently epidemic form of dementia that believes absolutely every situation can be made better with the application of more firepower.

Define Political Irony. A Political Party that spent 18 months demonizing Teachers, because some belong to a Union. Calling them unfit, inept, lazy and not deserving a year long pay check for 9months worth of incompetent work. Then Sandy Hook happens, now Teaches are the brightest, well educated and protectors of our children and deserve to be armed for their and our children's safety.
So I have to ask the GOP this. Who deliberately arms a section of our population, you say as unfit, inept and incompetent, with hand guns. Saying it's not only wise but safe to do so?

A lot of high schools and middle schools around the country have assigned police officers. They provide security and sometimes class room support. The officer at my daughter's high school was a positive influence and well respected by the kids and staff. I don't know if the assigned officers are armed or not, but I don't need to know. If anyone should be armed my first choice would be a trained, professional police officer. Clearly assigning a police officer to every primary school is expensive and I have no idea what they would do most of the time. As the principal said, let teachers focus on teaching and security focus on marksmanship.

By police officer I mean just that, not some wanna be private security officer.

Maybe we should just arm kids, like in that Hunger Games documentary.

Didn't one of these whackjob right wingers suggest that unruly children should be put to death? Now they want teachers of a 9 thousand year old earth armed to the teeth to keep little Johnny from looking up little Debby's dress. Next 'arming the fetus'!!!

For whose sake, exactly, would we be providing those security patrols? Would it be like the TSA, which has provided an army of jobs but every now and then "misses" a weapon in someone's carry-on? And we take our shoes off going through security, why? One guy had explosives in his shoes. Couldn't they just as easily be in his hat or her hairband next time?

My point is that security is an illusion. It's that same illusion that makes a gun owner feel he's secure by having a gun in his home. Hopefully, he's responsible about safety, and the gun is unloaded, with ammunition in a separate place, and all are under lock and key. When there's that home invasion that he's so afraid of, do you think he's going to get all that together before he's dead?

Putting armed guards in our schools may sound like a good idea, and parents may rest easier knowing they're there, but the odds of a guard being in the right place at the right time, able to draw his gun before he's killed and then getting off a killing or disabling shot past the intruder's body armor is kind of unlikely. At least, I think so.

We had school resource officers in my high school, it was a given, they were actual police officers, and this was in the early nineties, long before Colombine and the spate of school shootings. I think the middle schools in the area had them too. My high school was in a pretty crime ridden area and was a gated closed campus. I never felt unsafe. I do think if we had educators with pistols armed and loaded attached to their hips, it would have been quite the opposite.

If we are to go down this path, it should be by placing an armed police officer at every school whenever there are children scheduled to be on the grounds -- during class hours, while sports teams are practicing or playing, etc.

The question is, how will we pay for it? Salary and support for a police officer is roughly equivalent to two full time teachers, and there are A LOT of schools. Raise the uppermost income tax rate by 0.1%? Increase the capital gains tax? Cancel a handful of the latest super-pork fighter jets? Close military bases in San Diego and sell off the land to the highest bidder?

Wouldn't it be cheaper to get rid of long guns with a magazine capacity greater than 4?

Those who think arming teachers OR security people (and who will pay for those, since Republicans seem quite committed to starving the public schools?) will deter school shooters haven't read yesterday's NYT. Sounds like those extra guns could be an attraction for some severely troubled people: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/18/opinion/what-drives-suicidal-mass-killers.html?src=me&ref=general

Get ready for the Big Canard from the NRA this Friday, the "Mental Health" canard. They will argue that guns don't kill people, crazy people who should be locked up do. Of course they will not provide funding or objective and relevant guidelines, because it's going to be a smokescreen to divert. It's exactly the same as the canard about "securing the border" before comprehensive immigration reform. Anytime you need a weather vane or dipstick into Republican thinking, just ask Marco Rubio. The dude is one talking point after another with a vacant intellect...

Since many of these mass killers end up killing themselves, we need to figure how to eliminate the senseless killings prior to the suicide. Perhaps legalizing pot will soothe some of these people's demons but that is a long way off. Having some questionnaire about suicide before licensing a weapon will only get the honest person and would be no predictor of the next response to a personal crisis. The increase in these killings seems to have risen since the draft was eliminated but maybe the reporting is just more widespread. We could try to figure out where the rage and hopelessness comes from (Fox News), (militant hateful televangelists) or lack of meaningful education and emotional support. We could legislate that semiautomatic weapons take a special very expensive bullet and multi-round clips are even more expensive. Bottom line, lots of brainstorming needs to be done regardless of what the NRA says and publish all the damn gun violence statistics so people can make an informed decision.

I hear there are record sales now of a ballistic Disney backpack that has a bullet proof shield built in it. They are also selling bullet proof vests for children.....
What is our country coming to? Goodbye tourism!

I attended Huntsville, AL, schools for all but 2 of my public school years. Any other reason for not having visited Huntsville in the 43 years since? Reading that linked article is more than enough.

Can the NRA ever come up with an idea to improve things without mentioning guns?

If your computer hard drive falters, get a gun! If you overcook dinner, get a gun! If your remote control isn't working, get a gun!

Really guys? Is that your only solution to every problem?

It kind of brings a new meaning to the concept of the "Fire! drill". Jeez.

Instead of arming teachers, why don't we try to limit the levels of mental illness in our society? The best way to prevent overall levels of mental illness? Reduce income inequality.

http://www.equalitytrust.org.uk/research/evidence-mental-health

When as a whole you (The GOP) want smaller government. You should be willing to take the consequences from your cuts. Over the last 20 years programs for mental health, education and police have been cut as tax revenue have declined. The GOP planted the seeds of this tragedy Now Norquest and his NRA fellow baulk at harvesting it.

Well, if school districts, governors, and legislators in TN, VA, etc want their teachers to become marksmen, let's hope they send them and their families on a free trip to WalleyWorld to target practice on the Buzz Lightyear ride. Conservatives are always looking for ways to waste money and pork barrel projects. This would be one that benefits someone else besides corrupt politicians and the billionaires that bribe them?