Sunday, September 15, 2013

Firearms for Teachers - No

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/16/nyregion/firing-at-man-in-times-square-police-wound-two-bystanders.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0

JS posted the above link on Facebook.  These were my comments:  

I just can't see teachers being able to spend enough time in order to be competent at the use of firearms. They are under time stress already - too much to do and not enough time to do it in. It is already a major factor in burn-out. 
And, if we are training teachers, shouldn't we be training them to teach, not shoot?
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And, once again, I am going to compare teachers to doctors.  Would you expect your doctor to have to carry a firearm in the hospital?  Would you want her to spend many hours of her work week keeping her shooting skills sharp?  Yes, there may be doctors who enjoy shooting practice and who already keep up their shooting skills, but, for the most part, we acknowledge that doctors are probably too busy for this to be a requirement of their work life.  

This is the SAME for teachers.  They are way too busy already.  It takes regular practice to retain skills at shooting.  Without the regular practice and training, skills deteriorate - ask any police officer.  And, as in the above article, even trained police officers don't have a high hit rate.  Doctors don't have the time to train like police officers; teachers don't either. 

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