this post was submitted on 22 Feb 2024
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West Virginia’s Republican-controlled House of Delegates voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to allow teachers and other school staff who undergo training to carry guns in K-12 public schools.

The bill, which now heads to the Senate, would allow teachers, administrators and support personnel with concealed carry permits to volunteer to bring a firearm into school with the intention of using it to defend the school in case of an active shooter event. Designated a “school protection officer,” the staffer wouldn’t receive any additional compensation for doing so.

Supporters say not every school system in West Virginia can afford to hire a full-time school resource officer. This program would provide another option.

Before the vote, Republican Del. Dave Foggin of Wood County, a physics teacher, said he can’t think of anything worse than shooting someone in his classroom. But he said if that person came into his school trying to hurt his students, he would do it.

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[–] macarthur_park@lemmy.world 40 points 8 months ago (1 children)

It’s wild that Republicans simultaneously believe that:

  1. teachers cannot be trusted to teach about race, gender, and certain parts of history (aka mentioning these things at all) and need to have all books in their classrooms reviewed by an external party for inappropriate content, and

  2. teachers can totally be trusted with guns in the classroom.

[–] TransplantedSconie@lemm.ee 8 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Not only that:

Look a student they possibly know in the eyes, and kill them.

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[–] Darkard@lemmy.world 32 points 8 months ago (36 children)

Ah yes, the solution in a mass shooting event is to make sure there are more panicked, armed civilians fearing for their lives around the place.

When you have bloodthirsty police who are scared of acorns in the mix too this is just going to lead to dead teachers.

[–] pickman_model@lemmy.world 3 points 8 months ago

the solution in a mass shooting event

Is obviously to bring more guns.
/s

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[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 22 points 8 months ago (3 children)

I've asked advocates of this before what happens if a student somehow gets a hold of a teacher's gun and I've essentially been told by them that it would be impossible.

Which is weird, because kids sure can get access to everything else that is inside a school.

[–] MagicShel@programming.dev 8 points 8 months ago

I mean for fucks sake, what if a teacher just shouts for everyone to be quiet with his hand on his gun. That is a scary, oppressive environment. The gun doesn't even need to be used to easily see how terrible this idea is.

[–] AbidanYre@lemmy.world 4 points 8 months ago

It's easy to find stories about SROs leaving their gun in the school bathroom.

No way for a kid to be the one who finds it...

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[–] militaryintelligence@lemmy.world 19 points 8 months ago (2 children)

The gun industry really has us by the balls don't they?

US: Help we have a problem with mass shootings!

Republicans: Have you tried more guns?

[–] doubletwist@lemmy.world 11 points 8 months ago (1 children)

News report about a teacher at the end of their rope shooting their own students in 3... 2...1...

[–] CeruleanRuin@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago (2 children)

What's more likely is that one day, when the classroom is crazy, they will leave their gun storage unsecured, and a 7-yr-old will find it and shoot their friend by accident.

[–] doubletwist@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago

Yeah that too. But I guarantee the other will also happen.

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[–] BackOnMyBS@lemmy.world 9 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

I've been shot at a lot. I have been in firefights. The first thing everyone does when they realize they're being shot at by surprise is have a total complete meltdown and beg the savior/heavens for safety. I'll never forget the face of one guy that was in pure terror when he accepted he was going to die. He was paralyzed hiding. It takes a few exposures to start getting comfortable with it. Ask any combat veteran what happened the first time they were shot at by surprise.

Additionally, to shoot the enemy, you have to place yourself in the line of fire from them, placing yourself in lethal danger. You also have to be calm enough to aim so that you hit just the shooter, not anyone else like another kid. The mass shooter doesn't have that problem because they want to kill as much as possible and have already accepted their death. The mass shooter has a significant advantage.

Aside from maybe a deranged psychopath (which def shouldn't be carrying a gun) or an experienced combat veteran/police officer, I would imagine most teachers would be completely useless in a mass shooter event. Look at the trained police officers in Uvalde that were too scared to go into the school. Wtf is some teacher with a bit of weapons safety training going to do??

Everyone has this fantasy that they're going to be some kind of hero in a gun fight, but the reality is that when the first round pops off, your body takes over and you aren't making decisions anymore. You've lost control as your body does what it has evolved to do, which is survive. See how you react the moment you're at gun point and know that your entire experience is about to end. It takes some actual exposure to learn to override that.

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[–] toasteecup@lemmy.world 8 points 8 months ago

When the students act up, shoot em with your gun

[–] tygerprints@kbin.social 5 points 8 months ago

West Virginia is quickly becoming as [poorly managed as Utah. Sorry guys but teachers carrying guns will NEVER stop a gun assault at a school, under any circumstances, ever. Only a complete nitwit (and stooge of the NRA) would ever believe that could be some kind of solution.

These dingbats will defend being gun nuts no matter what, but the truth is, nobody with a gun will ever stop a school shooter before the shooting happens -it will be over with before you even know what's going on, that's how mass shootings are, ask anyone who has ever survived one. There is no advance notice that gives you time to draw a gun, and most teachers are not going to fire a gun in their classroom no matter what.

This is a sick and stupid answer to a problem that our gun culture keeps making worse every day.

[–] ouRKaoS@lemmy.today 4 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I was in high school in the 90's during the whole Columbine thing & had a History teacher who was a former Marine & a Vietnam vet.

I have no doubt in my mind he absolutely was armed 24/7, and it was going to be one of those "better to ask forgiveness than permission" sort of things if he ended up shooting someone at the school.

Also, no one ever fucked around in his class.

[–] BackOnMyBS@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago

similar. i went to school in the 90s. the woodshop teacher was a Vietnam vet. guy was known for being whacked out, but cool. he would say the craziest shit, but had such a good heart. one day, my gf and her best friend were walking by his room, and he loudly goes, "hi, gay girls!" like a coked up clown, then just leaves. 😆 remember, this was in the 90s when being gay was much more oppressed.

everyone respected the shit out of that dude.

[–] Reddfugee42@lemmy.world 4 points 8 months ago

If they pass anything less than full SWAT training, they are unprepared for urban hostage warfare. Republicans are fucking idiots.

[–] iAmTheTot@kbin.social 3 points 8 months ago

Designated a “school protection officer,” the staffer wouldn’t receive any additional compensation for doing so.

[–] CeruleanRuin@lemmy.world 3 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I give it six months tops before some poor kid gets shot with one of these teachers' guns.

[–] MisterD@lemmy.ca 1 points 8 months ago

Imagine a kid getting a bad grade and goes into the teacher's purse for the gun when her head is turned...

[–] meathorse@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago

Now take a school field trip to the state govt... See how far they let you in with a gun.

[–] TimLovesTech@badatbeing.social 2 points 8 months ago (2 children)

West Virginia’s Republican-controlled House of Delegates voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to allow teachers and other school staff who undergo training to carry guns in K-12 public schools.

What does this "training" look like? Giving a gun to staff who are going to just point in the general direction and unload could very well catch kids and staff in friendly fire. Also law enforcement needs to be consistent that they are walking into a situation where friendly fire is a very real possibility.

I feel like this would just create more situations where cops are just waiting outside or in hallways afraid of where all the guns are.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 3 points 8 months ago

If it's anything like police training, I wouldn't let my kid anywhere near a school with those teachers.

[–] Buelldozer@lemmy.today 2 points 8 months ago

What does this “training” look like?

Still to be developed but it will take 24 hours of training to get and 8 hours per year to keep. You can read the bill here: https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb4299%20eng.htm&yr=2024&sesstype=RS&i=4299

At least on paper the topics to be covered look pretty thorough.

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