Ahh, the good 'ol Brady Blog. Just when you think there's nothing to talk about, Paul comes in and blurts out some PSH and you just have to respond.
Paul bleats...
The Review Panel appointed by Virginia Governor Timothy Kaine recently issued its recommendations that background checks on gun purchases be strengthened and “that guns be banned on campus grounds and in all buildings…” Earlier this week, I saw a short video clip that reinforced my agreement with this position. I was on Fox & Friends, the morning news show on the Fox News Channel, to discuss a proposal by a Michigan legislator that would allow some teachers and school staff to carry guns in school. Fox showed a video that has been posted on www.Youtube.com that is relevant to the issue. I urge everyone, regardless of your point of view on the subject, to watch this short video. The video clip shows a Federal law enforcement agent, doubtless fully trained in firearm safety, shooting himself in the foot in front of a stunned classroom full of people. This reinforces the point that guns in school are inherently dangerous. Even trained law enforcement officers can have potentially serious accidents. Teachers should focus on teaching, and janitors on cleaning. If we are concerned about safety in the schools, any guns should be in the hands of trained law enforcement officers.
The Review Panel appointed by Virginia Governor Timothy Kaine recently issued its recommendations that background checks on gun purchases be strengthened and “that guns be banned on campus grounds and in all buildings…”
Earlier this week, I saw a short video clip that reinforced my agreement with this position.
I was on Fox & Friends, the morning news show on the Fox News Channel, to discuss a proposal by a Michigan legislator that would allow some teachers and school staff to carry guns in school. Fox showed a video that has been posted on www.Youtube.com that is relevant to the issue. I urge everyone, regardless of your point of view on the subject, to watch this short video.
The video clip shows a Federal law enforcement agent, doubtless fully trained in firearm safety, shooting himself in the foot in front of a stunned classroom full of people.
This reinforces the point that guns in school are inherently dangerous. Even trained law enforcement officers can have potentially serious accidents. Teachers should focus on teaching, and janitors on cleaning. If we are concerned about safety in the schools, any guns should be in the hands of trained law enforcement officers.
Emphasis mine
Now practically every single one of us has seen this video. Hell, it's the basis for David Codrea's "Only Ones" series.
First off, let's get the truth out there. Gunnies, you may not like it, but the truth is that bringing a firearm into a classroom increases the chances of an accidental or negligent discharge harming children. As much as it might hurt Swingline's sales, a stapler in the classroom also increases the chances of an injury to a child from an errant staple. And let's not even talk about scissors and how badly kids could be cut or stabbed with them.
However, while each new item introduced into an environment brings danger, that danger is balanced by the utility of said item. As I argued over at Airborne Combat Engineer's place, the actual percentage of AD/NDs are low enough to consider firearms safe enough. Millions of firearms each day do not go off. Hundreds of thousands of firearms in the hands of Police and citizens alike do not go off accidentally every day, even though they are being carried around. I'd wager that the percentage of civilian carry (the Po-Po are civilians too) that prevents or lowers the severity of a crime is exponentially higher than AD/NDs.
Now, Paul likes to make it sound like it takes years and years of grueling training to prevent discharges. Yet he shows someone who ostensibly has said training and fails to prevent the accident. He then says that only people like that should be allowed to carry guns in schools because even though they're dangerous (as his video shows)... ummm.. well, better that a federal agent shoots your child than a teacher.
He presents a false dichotomy and fails to even argue it successfully amongst himself. No wonder he can't allow comments on his blog.
Now, I'd be all about allowing the teacher to carry only if he or she has proven that she frequents a range and has taken steps to ensure that safe handling of the firearm will happen. When that happens, that teacher has just as much training as a federal agent on the safe handling of a gun.