ARMING TEACHERS

In the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting tragedy, there are calls to begin arming educators.  While I am of the opinion, had only one teacher at Sandy Hook been sufficiently trained and carrying a weapon, the incident may have ended differently; simply arming educators en mass is not the answer.

To believe for one moment, putting teachers through some rudimentary training course, giving them a weapon and then expecting them to react offensively in an active shooter situation is a fallacy ripe for future disaster.

Should States and school systems decide to arm educators, the process to do so is not only extensive, the costs are recurring.  Long term financial commitment will be required.  Each individual needs to be assessed, properly trained, trained even more and then undergo constant retraining/recertification.  Even so, you are still left with the one critical unknown variable.  Will that person have the wherewithal or fortitude to use the weapon if and when the time comes?  

I have been trained in the use of and carrying weapons since my military service in the 70's.  I have furthered those skills over the years to include Executive Protection and Personal Security, certified through the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS).  I am constantly at the range, practicing, familiarizing myself with my weapons and their operation.  I take every opportunity afforded me to train further, polish and hone my abilities, which have included real life scenarios, using Simunitions (non-lethal training ammunition), where I am presented with "shoot/no shoot" situations.  You are pointing a loaded weapon at another human being and even though you KNOW you're using non-lethal ammunition; even though you KNOW it's a training scenario, the decision to pull the trigger is still not easy.  It is however, a decision that has to be made.  Reaching beyond that tipping point is precisely why I train constantly.

I live in a Yellow OODA (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) Loop world.  It is a never ending process as I reassess my surroundings, my situation, dozens of times a day.  At work, at home, while shopping; walking, driving...constantly.  Although I carry; to this day, I've never drawn my weapon for offensive reasons.  While I hope to never have to do so, I'm prepared as well as I can be, to respond appropriately; not only protect myself and my family but also defend others and if necessary, end an active shooter situation.

It remains to be seen if the proposals to arm educators come to fruition or are just knee-jerk reactions.  I expect there are other ways to secure schools, protect students and teachers.  These avenues must also be explored, considered and if viable and fiscally practical, put into place.

If we arm teachers and school administrators, they will need to achieve the same level of preparedness and awareness mentioned above.  The world as they know it will be forever changed and viewed in a different light.  There's no waffling here.  You are asking people to do more than just lock and barricade their doors.  You are asking them reject the overwhelming human instinct to flee from danger; to go on the offensive, to purposely put themselves in harms way.  It's a lot to ask and until the time comes, if it comes, either they'll be capable of doing so, or they won't.