Town I grew up in announced an armed officer at every school. Seems to be pretty overwhelming support. Lets see, Banks, airports, federal buildings, borders, State and Local Gov't buildings, courthouses, most celebrities are all worthy of armed protection.... Not to mention every time you fly you and your child could be sitting next to an armed sky marshall. But your kids, not so much?

 

My Hebrew school growing up always used to contract an off-duty officer to be on premises also. Never phased me, my only memory is him stopping traffic for us to cross the street and waving. Yes, it was a horrible experience for me.

Certainty only resides in people's minds. There is nothing certain about any of this.

 

My family are mostly cops. (I is surrounded by people with guns!) and we have had some lively debates over the years. So I found it particularly telling that my aunt, a very recently retired captain on the force and just about as gung-ho a cannon-toting-NRA-2nd-amendment type person as you could find, commented on the NRA chiefs diatribe by half yelling "What the hell was that!?"

 

I am not even going to ask my sister what she thinks. She is an officer (also fond of hand-cannons) but doesn't follow politics much. (And I don't like to make her mad!) Even so, I know enough to suspect she would not like that speech either.

 

The NRA may have some trouble even with the rank and file on this.

We must have watched a different press conference I didn't see a diatribe. This isn't going to be something jammed through. There are many representatives and constituents that aren't going to roll over for hysteria. This is an issue that get politicians fired after ones from districts like mine know that very well. Will see, interesting to watch none the less.

That speech made me think of the elections. Remember on CNN, just when the politicians thought they were being the most forceful and sticking it to the other side, how in reality the undecided voters were dialing them down to the lowest levels?

 

Sometimes (for good or ill) how you say what you are trying to say is as important as what you are saying.

 

(Eerily enough, I am writting this from a gun store I have been dragged off to)

It seems to me that the Westboro Baptist Church, the NRA or anyone else is just using this for some sort of gain to get a message across (I am sure plenty are lining up right now to do the same). I chose to ignore them all.

 

Good to see those bikers linking arms and form a line to prevent a picket, nothing more intimidating then the brotherhood of bikers.

It seems to me that the Westboro Baptist Church, the NRA or anyone else is just using this for some sort of gain to get a message across

 

Including politicians who press their party's long standing agenda on assault weapons. Just saying...

 

The NRA is just defending our rights.

Including politicians who press their party's long standing agenda on assault weapons. Just saying...

 

I was going to say that too but didn't want to get too political :ph34r:

 

The NRA is just defending our rights.

 

I agree, I don't have a problem with them folks

If our wonderful lawmakers don't get the "fiscal cliff" problem resolved, the average American won't be able to afford firearms anyway. Problem solved!

LOL

 

Now now. We can't put too much on their plate. Pres Obama wants us to "sing Christmas carols," and eat with our families before we get serious about the fiscal cliff. I almost fell off the chair when he said that. I have a feeling this will be something solved at the eleventh hour or very possibly we will go over and both sides will play the finger pointing game.

Gun control and talking points are more important than our economy collapsing. Their priorities are out of whack and yet we keep sending the same bozos back up there. Drives me nuts.

The NRA wants armed guards in every school. I guess they didn't get the memo that there were two armed guards at Columbine and Virginia Tech as its own armed police force on campus.

 

Now for the next bit of NRA logic, who will pay for this? There are roughly 100,000 public schools in the United States (Primary and Secondary, not including private or post secondary). One armed guard per school at a cost of $50,000 per year (including all costs such as salary, training, benefits, weapons, replacement guards for sick days, etc) that will cost the US government a cool $5 Billion dollars per year. Now as gun support is highest among Republicans....the same people that don't want to see any increase in public spending....I can only assume that the gun owners themselves will foot the bill for this through taxes on purchases of new weapons and ammo. I would love to see the reaction from gun owners to this suggestion.

 

btw Swofford, while the constitution provides the rights, it is not absolute (as supported by the SCOTUS) and limitations of free speech and weapons ownership are constitutionally valid in some cases.

The NRA wants armed guards in every school. I guess they didn't get the memo that there were two armed guards at Columbine and Virginia Tech as its own armed police force on campus.

 

Now for the next bit of NRA logic, who will pay for this? There are roughly 100,000 public schools in the United States (Primary and Secondary, not including private or post secondary). One armed guard per school at a cost of $50,000 per year (including all costs such as salary, training, benefits, weapons, replacement guards for sick days, etc) that will cost the US government a cool $5 Billion dollars per year. Now as gun support is highest among Republicans....the same people that don't want to see any increase in public spending....I can only assume that the gun owners themselves will foot the bill for this through taxes on purchases of new weapons and ammo. I would love to see the reaction from gun owners to this suggestion.

 

btw Swofford, while the constitution provides the rights, it is not absolute (as supported by the SCOTUS) and limitations of free speech and weapons ownership are constitutionally valid in some cases.

Point 1. There were not armed guards at Columbine during the shooting.. There were officers that checked in once a week. (Since Columbine I believe the entire County has armed guards at every school) (Source FoxNews)

In Jefferson County, Colo., where the the 1999 school shooting by two students at Columbine High School left the pair and 13 others dead, the presence of police at local schools is testament to the community's determination not to relive the horror of 13 years ago.

"We have a cop in every high school in unincorporated Jefferson County," said Mark Techmeyer, a spokesman for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. "Two deputies are assigned to Columbine. And our regular patrol deputies act as liaisons to each elementary school. They are not physically there at all times but have a relationship with them and check in at least once a week."

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/12/21/is-putting-cop-in-every-school-even-possible-or-wise/#ixzz2Fk9pOeWi

 

Point 2. Comparing a college campus to a school is ridiculous, most campuses are the equivalent of a small town or sometimes city!

 

Point 3 A LOT of schools already provide armed officers and have been doing since the 90's... The issue is up for debate. If we can put armed guards in our banks to protect our money surely our kids have at least equal value?

 

Point 4. What limitations of free speech are you referring to considering even the KKK and Westboro Baptist are free to spew their hate in the US? We may not like what they have to say but their right to say it is what makes this country free.

Glad you saved me from typing that out myself. There are already limits. No more thank you.

Point 3 A LOT of schools already provide armed officers and have been doing since the 90's... The issue is up for debate. If we can put armed guards in our banks to protect our money surely our kids have at least equal value?

 

I agree with this and my former high school is one that does this as well. Two armed officers are in the school everyday, they use the same two officers everyday this way the students get to know them.

 

This is positive in many ways beyond just providing security. It also gives the police an opportunity to work with and establish rapport with the students, the students get to see that their is more to the police then just the uniform, they are people too.

 

Sometimes a student is more comfortable turning to one of those officers then a teacher with an issue as the police play by different rules. The program works really well.

The difficulties of law enforcement in the USA....Too many things to look for:

 

 

(I've been pulled over here before too) :ph34r: