"But, myfather, if some teachers are armed, do you think the shooter(s) would target the teachers first?"

Perhaps....but if we have cops there, they might target THEM first. Either way, the kids have a better chance if SOMEONE who is on their side is armed.

They will not target the teacher first, they would avoid the school. Name one shooting that took place where there was a known armed person present. That's why they pick schools and movie theaters. They are not looking for a fight, they want attention. An armed guard creates an obstacle. That's why an armed society is a safe society

The teachers that volunteer to be trained and carry, would be anonymous to anyone besides the teachers and principal. Theres no way the shooter would know exactly which 6 or 7 would be armed; UNLESS someone from the inside were to leak that information to the shooter, which is highly unlikely.

This would actually work better in PREVENTING a shooting, than uniformed law enforcement. With a uniformed officer, he would be the first target and probable casualty, because he is highly visible in his uniform. Why do you think air marshalls wear civilian clothing; so they can't be picked out of the crowd. Also, you would have to have numerous uniformed officers in EVERY school, so the shooter wouldn't be unable to target each one; this would cost BILLIONS each year. Arming teachers would save money and MAKE OUR SCHOOLS SAFER. Isn't that the goal, to make our schools safer?

This is such a ridiculous issue. I've got two school age children (7&5 year old girls) and would have ZERO problem with a responsible teacher, being TRAINED and allowed to have a firearm in the school. Again, this wouldn't be for every teacher, but those willing. They are supposed to be responsible people, right? They are teaching our chilldren, so their character is supposed to be above average, right?

What are we waiting for? Is this common sense to complicated for our politicians? I'm honestly beginning to believe common sense is completely DEAD in this society. I don't mean on its last leg, I mean completely dead, flatlined!! We do the same things over and over, expecting different results. We are afraid to try anything new to see if it's better. Thank you trial lawyers, because they are one serious reason for this because people are afraid of getting sued everytime they turn the corner.

Let's look where it's been tried. In Israel, at least 3 teachers and principals not named, carry concealed guns in EVERY school. They have never had a case of a terrorist inflicting harm at a school.

The armed school personnel do not have to be the principal or other office staff members. That would probably be the best case scenario since most access to schools is through one door close to the office. But other teachers and staff members who WANT to get the training and make a difference should be considered. It there were several hand guns within the school wouldn't it make sense that they be scattered around rather than all be in one place like the office. My one door observation does sound good in theory but we all know that even if all the rest of the doors are locked a gunman would figure out a way to get in if his mind was set on it. Lots to talk about. Lots to think about. I do believe trained/armed staff members in schools could deter and/or stop an attacker!

Columbine had a SINGLE armed guard, just as the vast majority of schools have now; either one or less in most schools today. Again, ONE GUARD=First casualty. If the shooter has prior knowledge there is only ONE GUARD, he would go after them first, then be free to continue his rampage of shooting innocent children, with zero concerns. Four guards would work, but would be extremely expensive for a Country 16 trillion in debt already.

Now, think about this with common sense; say there are 7 armed teachers who are anonymous, inside the school. The shooter has NO IDEA which ones, or where they are located within the school. He's planning an event he wants to be successful and bring him fame; which will mean killing multiple victims. The LAST thing he wants is to be stopped, prior to a massive slaughter. He also doesn't want to be confronted while shooting, because then, HE would have to dodge bullets, while trying to shoot people. Mythodically shooting people isn't so easy when the SHOOTER has to dodge bullets.

Now, for those who've never trained for such events, LISTEN CLOSELY. We are talking about an ACTIVE SHOOTER, NOT a hostage situation. So, before you saying something about the teachers bullets and what they might hit; this assassin is already spraying bullets EVERYWHERE. He is NOT taking hostages, but KILLING as quickly and effectively as he can. So, you've got the bullets flying everywhere, the only question is; would you like some of them flying towards the shooter, or just at innocent children?

Now, I've heard people say "What if the teacher misses, what about those bullets?" I also heard people actually say "The teacher might hit someone near the shooter, by accident.

Well, lets address this; one again we are talking about an active shooter, not hostage taker. I can't express this enough. We law enforcement train completely different for active shooters. If you have an ACTIVE SHOOTER in the school, shooting people ACTIVELY, then you wouldn't think people would be gathering around this shooter, taking numbers to be shot next. You would assume EVERYONE would be fleeing AWAY from the shooter, therefore there shouldn't be so many innocent people around him; and if they are around him, they are already in grave danger anyway, because he is shooting at them.

Sorry, but I like the idea of HIM having to dodge bullets; not just the children and teachers. I like to think SOME of the bullets in this school, are being fired towards HIM, not just from him. This just doesn't seem difficult to comprehend; but I've been a deputy for 16 years, so I've trained for this scenario many times.

Also, this shooter has high powered firearms, you don't think he can shoot his way through doors? No, that wouldn't take very long either. Adam Lanza shot his way into Sandy Hook, what makes you think the next one won't do the same?

Arming teachers would be the biggest PREVENTATIVE measure you could take. Just like TASERS for law enforcement actually PREVENT more physical altercations. Tasers are DISPLAYED much more often than used, because when displayed, it makes the bad guy think twice about fighting the police.

You arm the schools, then BROADCAST IT on the news, letting people know there are armed personnel in the school. No, of course you don't broadcast the exact teachers or faculty who are carrying firearms, but you broadcast the SCHOOL. Then these shooters will NOT choose our schools as a place for mass shootings, they will choose an easier (Gun free) target. Isn't that the point; to protect our children? It WOULD WORK, so what are we waiting for?

At first I was against all these armed people in schools and thought that it was downright nuts.
I will humbly admit that I didn't think it through.
My position has changed. Although I hate guns I would rather have as many good guys as possible with a weapon ready to protest innocent citizens against the bad guys who are illegally armed and have no respect for human life.

It is Ok for me to change my opinion about this subject right?

There are many teachers that do not want to be armed. Most have plenty to worry about without having the burden of carrying and securing a weapon.
That being said, if armed personnel are going to employed in all schools then that is going to cost a lot of money. Who is going to pay for it? Will it come out of the educational funds which in most states is already stretched thin?

I think the firearms would be purchased by the State and issued to the teachers, just as law enforcement is issued their duty weapons. So there would be the cost of each firearm; about $500.00. Also the cost of training each teacher, because they should have at least one day a month of training and shooting, possibly a 4 hour block of training each month.

But, if you hire law enforcement to guard the schools, the price is MUCH more because you still have to issue them firearms, equipment and trained them just like the teachers. Plus you're paying an additional salary of 35k per year; per officer. Are you going to provide them with patrol vehicles, which we currently do with BOE police? You have to think about that cost as well. How many schools exactly do we have in this State? That would be astronomical number for the State to pay. Put NUMEROUS officers in each school, would destroy most States budget. But arming teachers? You pay for the firearm, which should last for MANY YEARS, and then pay for training. It's the most fiscal policy and it WILL WORK, which is the biggest goal.