Post by ck4829 on Jul 3, 2022 7:59:47 GMT
Ohio Republicans’ proposal to arm teachers is an act of cowardice
So Republican lawmakers in Ohio want to protect children from gun violence — with more guns.
Last week, in response to the school shooting in Uvalde, Tex., and other high-profile episodes of mass murder, the Ohio legislature passed a bill allowing local boards of education to permit teachers to carry a firearm in the classroom, making it one of nearly 20 states to do so.
Republican Gov. Mike DeWine has indicated that he is eager to sign the bill into law. “I thank the General Assembly for passing this bill to protect Ohio children and teachers,” he said in a statement.
But proposals like this are nothing to celebrate. They are an act of cowardice.
It seems barely worth rehashing the reasons that arming teachers is not the way to end mass shootings.
The idea, ostensibly, is that a teacher with a gun could leap into action and disable or even kill a potential attacker. But research shows that in a shootout, even highly trained police officers are accurate less than half the time. There’s no reason to expect that a teacher with far less experience with guns could do better.
Studies have also found no evidence that arming teachers would meaningfully protect against school shootings, and that armed adults frequently mishandle their own weapons on school grounds.
Plus, polling consistently finds that most teachers don’t want to be armed; they want to teach. Classrooms are supposed to be spaces of learning and growth, not places for “hardening.”
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/06/09/ohio-bill-guns-for-teachers-republican-cowardice/
So Republican lawmakers in Ohio want to protect children from gun violence — with more guns.
Last week, in response to the school shooting in Uvalde, Tex., and other high-profile episodes of mass murder, the Ohio legislature passed a bill allowing local boards of education to permit teachers to carry a firearm in the classroom, making it one of nearly 20 states to do so.
Republican Gov. Mike DeWine has indicated that he is eager to sign the bill into law. “I thank the General Assembly for passing this bill to protect Ohio children and teachers,” he said in a statement.
But proposals like this are nothing to celebrate. They are an act of cowardice.
It seems barely worth rehashing the reasons that arming teachers is not the way to end mass shootings.
The idea, ostensibly, is that a teacher with a gun could leap into action and disable or even kill a potential attacker. But research shows that in a shootout, even highly trained police officers are accurate less than half the time. There’s no reason to expect that a teacher with far less experience with guns could do better.
Studies have also found no evidence that arming teachers would meaningfully protect against school shootings, and that armed adults frequently mishandle their own weapons on school grounds.
Plus, polling consistently finds that most teachers don’t want to be armed; they want to teach. Classrooms are supposed to be spaces of learning and growth, not places for “hardening.”
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/06/09/ohio-bill-guns-for-teachers-republican-cowardice/