Newspaper School Teacher CCW Poll

[CCdouble]

Our local news paper (Tuscarawas County in NE Ohio) has a poll asking if teachers should be allowed to carry concealed weapons at school. I am actually a little surprised as to how many votes are against (300) and only 186 are for it.

Should anybody want to go to the poll and vote, it can be found here.

Obviously the show of support for the right to carry would be nice. I just hate it when people don't think you have the right to defend yourself. We have very little violent crime here so the argument for the need to carry may not carry the same weight as that of an inner city school in a high crime area, but we all know that the argument isn't about odds or numbers, it's about the right to defend yourself.

Thanks,

Rich

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[calmp9]

Our local news paper (Tuscarawas County in NE Ohio) has a poll asking if teachers should be allowed to carry concealed weapons at school. I am actually a little surprised as to how many votes are against (300) and only 186 are for it.

Should anybody want to go to the poll and vote, it can be found here.

Obviously the show of support for the right to carry would be nice. I just hate it when people don't think you have the right to defend yourself. We have very little violent crime here so the argument for the need to carry may not carry the same weight as that of an inner city school in a high crime area, but we all know that the argument isn't about odds or numbers, it's about the right to defend yourself.

Thanks,

Rich

The poll results aren't surprising at all. You mentioned yourself that there is not a lot of violent crime there. People who aren't to seeing a lot of crime feel that they don't need protection. These people think that the local law enforcement agencies will take care of them. What they don't know is that they courts have already ruled that they have no duty to protect individuals.

[FallenPhoenix]

I wish these polls were more carefully worded. Do I believe any teacher should be able to bring a gun to school? No, but I do believe those licensed to carry should not be restricted from "gun-free zones".

[BentLink]

'Sounds like this is Cleveland-ish. Not surprised at the results given the general politics of the audience. While I'm a across the border near Pittsburgh, PA, I provided my opinion to help confound any statistical confidence anybody has in the results.

[bandit383]

Our local news paper (Tuscarawas County in NE Ohio) has a poll asking if teachers should be allowed to carry concealed weapons at school. I am actually a little surprised as to how many votes are against (300) and only 186 are for it.

Obviously the show of support for the right to carry would be nice. I just hate it when people don't think you have the right to defend yourself. We have very little violent crime here so the argument for the need to carry may not carry the same weight as that of an inner city school in a high crime area, but we all know that the argument isn't about odds or numbers, it's about the right to defend yourself.

Thanks,

Rich

My concern with your request to vote is this should be a local decision...if the teachers, school district, and parents decide against...I think that should be respected. The results truly become invalid if outside interests booger the results.

I also believe the best way to get school districts to to buy-in to some sort of carry is to let them decide...then it will become dominoes vice the perceptions of outsiders meddling in their backyard.

Rick

[Cupcake]

Broke linky.

[KenInColo]

Broke linky.

ditto...

[coffeecup]

I'll probably get in trouble with the mods again, but here goes.----Considering all the bad press teachers have been getting in the last few years, I'm not too certain that I would tust too many of them around my kids with a weapon that could be used for intimidation.

[retsupt99]

I'll probably get in trouble with the mods again, but here goes.----Considering all the bad press teachers have been getting in the last few years, I'm not too certain that I would tust too many of them around my kids with a weapon that could be used for intimidation.

That's a pretty big leap...could you spell out how you made that connection?


The ones getting the bad press wouldn't be the ones wanting to have their CCW permits. OMO

[press1280]

I couldn't see the poll either.
Be careful how these polls are worded, many like to steer you in a particular direction.
They may ask something like:
Do you believe ALL teachers should carry guns in the classroom?
A neutral question would be:
Should the school bar CWP holders from carrying on school property?

I've seen some polls that actually tried to trick people so the numbers would come out anti-gun.

[Cupcake]

I'll probably get in trouble with the mods again, but here goes.----Considering all the bad press teachers have been getting in the last few years, I'm not too certain that I would trust too many of them around my kids with a weapon that could be used for intimidation.

Sure, there are nutty teachers. Just as there are nutty cops, Christians, Muslims, atheists, etc. Every one of those groups has had some bad press, shall we revoke their CCWs?

I can see requiring recurring training.

[Colin]

Also up here we try not to hot link to polls otherwise they feel that they are invalid if to many hits come from a pro-gun site, our forum opened up a sub forum specfic for online polls and we try to hit every gun related one to turn the results in our favour, wording of the polls can make it impossible to pick a pro gun side, no hidden agenda of course.....

[ntkb]

Nancy, Chuck, Ted, Bill, Hilary, and the rest of the gang, I am sure enjoy your sence of fairness.

[kohburn]

link is gone now

[wjh2657]

I am a retired High School teacher. I am also awaiting my HCP from Nashville and have carried with CCW in PA and IL (yes, Illinois!).

The problem with teachers carrying is that there is a special contract between parents and the schools. These are children and are considered as being in a special environment and have to be handled differently than adults. Any of them can be irritating to the point of desperation at any one time. Any of them ( Junior High and up) can be threatening at any one time. Hopped up on their own hormones
and adreniline they can be homicidal as a matter of course. There is an understanding that teachers will not meet this with equal force but must defuse the situation. If you have never taught school you will not understand the artificiality of this situation. Teachers do not have the right to turn to force, they are expected to think their way out of the situation. It is sort of parallel to being a medic in the military. When you put on the Red Cross armband you are out of the shooting business. You have to be ten times more alert and more cagey to stay alive, but you know when you take the job that the extra risk goes with it. There is training (similar to hostage negotiation training) that many principals and school resource officers are given and this is to be the first line of action.

School is an emotional area of relative chaos if it involves teen-agers or pre-pubes and I and a lot of teachers feel that teachers with guns is not a healthy alternative.

You are supposed to send the kids home alive. For every Columbine incident there are literaly thousands of little teacher/student conflicts everyday that could escalate into a shooting. I will carry as a civilian but I would not carry in a classroom, ever.