Martindale said the notion of an armed guard at each school is a knee-jerk and unproductive reaction to the recent shootings. Many of the solutions being discussed, from requiring teachers to have a concealed weapons permit to having students wear Kevlar backpacks, would send the message to children that they are constantly in danger, she said.
"Arming our schools, arming our teachers, is that really the society we want to live in?" Martindale asked.
She described the political conversation as misplaced, with too few lawmakers discussing the types of weapons — such as high-round magazines and assault rifles — that go beyond a constitutional right to self-defense and the mental and emotional state of people who carry out shootings.
She believes the money required to place officers in schools would be better spent in programs that address mental illness or promote anti-bullying programs.
"Let's put money into that," Martindale said. "Let's find out what's causing people to do this."
E-mail: benwood@desnews.com
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Most frightening of all, the NRA is calling for "armed VOLUNTEERS" to protect our schools.
I can see it now. A flock of volunteer wannabe Rambo militiamen parading past the Kindergarten kids with their weaponry on display for all More..
My home county in Maryland had a sheriffs' deputy at each high school. I'm okay with something like that. However... blaming virtual guns (in video games and movies) while ignoring real guns, and not suggesting a single piece of regulation More..
Makes perfect sense to me! LaPierre's logic is compelling.
We spend untold millions of dollars on all kinds of armed security for money, for courts, for sporting events. And we spend untold millions on all kinds of education More..