DAVE ROSS

Ross: The problem with the ‘just arm the teachers’ argument to prevent school shootings

May 26, 2022, 6:45 AM | Updated: May 27, 2022, 6:36 am

A memorial is seen surrounding the Robb Elementary School sign following the mass shooting at Robb ...

A memorial is seen surrounding the Robb Elementary School sign following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School (Getty Images)

(Getty Images)

I’m hearing the argument that the Texas shooting was primarily a security problem.

For example, the school should have been better prepared, perhaps by arming the teachers.

But the school had an armed resource officer who confronted the shooter – and yet couldn’t keep the kid from entering the school.

And when the other officers arrived, they managed to contain him to that classroom – thank goodness – but if this was the best the cops could do – do you really think an armed teacher could’ve done better?

Unless you find the money to assign a full-time commando unit to every school, the security argument is absurd.

The governor of Texas called this “evil” – implying there is some supernatural force at work.

Maybe.

But the problem with America is that we take evil, and give it a gun.

And not just any gun – we give it the kind of gun that the Ukrainians are using. Literally!

Three weeks ago a Florida gun manufacturer announced it was shipping 3,000 AR-style rifles to Ukraine for use by civilians to hold off the Russian Army!

So why would anyone put a gun like that in the hands of an 18-year-old in peacetime?

The comeback is always that you can fight and die for your country at 18. Yes! If you join the army, learn to obey orders, and have permission to get your weapon out of the arms room, yes, we’ll let you use a gun. I’ll take those rules. Let’s pass THAT law.

But until then, why don’t the gun stores in Texas take a stand? And voluntarily stop selling these rifles to anyone under 21? I hear Texans are very brave. So let’s see some brave Texas gun shop owners exercise their right not to sell arms.

We’ve been told an armed society is a polite society, but — number one, that quote is out of context; it’s about dueling – and number two, if it was true, with our current civilian arsenal we should be the safest country in history.

With 393 million civilian firearms, 20 million of them being AR-style rifles, we are more than ready to fight off a Russian invasion.

And yet, we stand at the mercy of our own angry young men!

So, we are going to have to disarm them. That means warning the police about them, and it means you don’t sell a rifle – that’s actually being used to fight off Russians – to an untrained 18-year-old you never met.

That is not respecting the Constitution, that’s just arming the enemy.

Listen to Seattle’s Morning News weekday mornings from 5 – 9 a.m. on KIRO Newsradio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

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