The tally regarding the question of teachers being armed was pretty convincing, but for the facts. Let me mention, as a classroom teacher with military training, how the issue with guns for teachers is dumb, wrong-headed and terribly dangerous for everyone in that classroom. The possible shooter is not relevant.

Where would the teacher's gun be safely stored?

Can she/he get to the gun quickly and safely?

Let's move now to the realities. The shooter has already breached the school and just banged open the classroom door beginning shooting with the AR-15.  Where is the teacher's gun and how could that gun be accessed now? Is that teacher, used to handling guns and cognizant, aware enough to resist or is he/she already dead?

The Second Amendment devotees have lost a sense of reality when this requirement that somehow a gun in the hands of a good person can stop a bad person with a gun. Wayne LaPierre of the NRA leadership espousing this dribble is not facing the real issue. The real issue is too many guns and too  many il-conceived solutions to the gun issues in this country. 

Society cannot solve gun problems with more guns. Arming teachers is also akin to the NRA's position that more is better. If that is the case for solving an immense social issue, arm the children. 

Robert Brooks

* * *

Mr. Brooks, you can relax and quit worrying about this.  I've faithfully and carefully watched (and participated in) the Chattanoogan.com daily polls for as long as they have existed, and have noticed one significant detail about them:  Whenever the poll involves an imminent or proposed action by some branch of government, the larger the percentage of YES votes for the action, the less likely it is to happen. 

So you can relax on the matter of armed teachers; since a majority of local responders are for the idea, it probably ain't gonna happen.

There are several ways to analyze this situation.  One way is to declare that most Chattanoogan.com readers are ignorant and wrong on every matter.  I prefer the viewpoint that we enlightened laymen who do see things clearly are outnumbered by politicians who don't.

Always remember, any poll that offers only YES or NO answers is bound to result in an obvious dichotomy, and such supposedly black-and-white results aren't always reasonable or even representative.  I have asked a time or two that we be given at least one more choice, None of the Above.  That would complicate things, though, so we're stuck with the Yes/No split.

And in these polls, it seems the majority never does rule.

Larry Cloud

* * *

Mr. Brooks, arming teachers may not be the solution to preventing school shootings but it certainly isn't dumb. Your statement saying the possible shooter is irrelevant is dumb though. Instead of jumping right to the part in your scenario where the shooter has breached the school and banged open the classroom door, how about we prevent that from happening?

These maniacs prey on innocent, vulnerable victims such as schools, churches, shopping centers and even gun free military installations closer to home. If police can't or won't breach the same schools so easily accessed by the shooter, at least someone inside the building who is armed could stop the carnage.

Let's also stop giving passes to school administrators and teachers' unions that turn a blind eye to security measures and procedures designed to protect our children. Seriously, how difficult is it to check each and every door in a school building to make sure all doors can be and are being locked? That could be done if anyone cared enough. We can also stop making excuses for why we can't have more controlled access and entry to the buildings, whether it's metal detectors, cameras, single entry points, armed security stations or all of the above. Taxpayers pay for this type of security at airports and federal buildings, I doubt they mind paying for school safety.

People who really don't care enough to address violent crime just call for stricter gun control laws. Chicago has strict gun control. How's that working out?

Michael Welch

* * *

Obviously, Larry and Michael never witnessed teachers get into a cat fight at school over some inane issue. The only thing preventing the situation from possibly turning deadly was no gun was present. Or a sixth grader getting slammed up against a set of lockers. Or a third grader being dragged flat on their back down a hallway by strap of their backpack. There's nothing to prevent those types from pulling a gun on a student.

Just remember, educators come from that same society that produce mass shooters, and some often have the same short fuse and mental instability.  Some folks just aren't wrapped too tight no matter their levels in society. A college degree is no guarantee.

Brenda Washington 

* * *

That's quite a stretch there, Ms. Washington, to go from a catfight to a gunfight. Maybe instead of a paddling a pistol whipping?

I certainly hope you didn't pull a muscle out of whack with that nonsense.  

Dennis Wooden

* * * 

In a response, Mr. Michael Welch stated and asked "People who really don't care enough to address violent crime just call for stricter gun control laws. Chicago has strict gun control. How's that working out?"

There are several reasonable and objective studies easily available online that show as many as 95 percent (per one study, with others show a lower percent) of recovered guns in Chicago used in crimes were purchased out of state. A good portion of those were purchased in neighboring Indiana with less restrictive gun purchasing requirements.  

It's easy to blame Chicago and its black mayor and predominantly black population, but it's Indiana that creates Chicago problem.

As with fireworks and moonshine in the past, or bringing liquor from Chattanooga into Catoosa County today, if you want a product not legally or easily available in your jurisdiction, you travel and buy it where it you can.

Joe Warren