SB1193 Guest Opinion Courier Times

[sgmwatkins]

Here is what was posted in the Courier Times this morning: Please let me know your thoughts!!


Legislators who want to arm teachers part of the problem

By JULIA BUMBAUGH-SHAH
On Dec. 14, a disturbed young man walked into an elementary school and, in less than 11 minutes, shot and killed 20 first grade children and six staff before killing
himself. Little has changed to make children safer as a result,
and, in fact, some states have made guns more accessible. Now with
the introduction of SB 1193, some Pennsylvania legislators want to
put guns in our schools.
Those Sandy Hook children were not my children, not my family
members, not my community. Yet, as we approached the first
anniversary of that horrible day, the reminders kept blind-siding
me. When I would see my friends’ six-year-old daughters playing in
the yard, or watch my sons play soccer with their friends, the pictures
of those 20 smiling faces appeared in my mind.
I know there are teachers and staff in my sons’ school who would
step between a bullet and a child. That tragedy rang a chord in me
which will not stop reverberating.
I keep thinking how easily it could have been Newtown, Pa., instead of Newtown, Conn.
On the anniversary of the massacre, I attended a candlelight vigil
held at the George School. My son was one of several Council Rock
students who read the names and ages of 154 U.S. children under age
10 who had been killed by guns since Sandy Hook.
In preparation, I looked up the news reports on each of the
12 children my son would name. One child died because a babysitter
fell asleep leaving her handgun on a table. Another was shot
by his mother’s boyfriend while playing with a real gun thought to
be unloaded. A sibling group with domestic violence-involved parents were
killed by their mother who then also killed their father and herself.
Another child and his mother were killed by his father in a murder-
suicide. Another was killed collaterally in a shooting into a
family gathering. At the vigil, I grieved hearing
the names of babies and small children, imagining the loss
and regret experienced by their families and communities. Every
death was preventable, if there hadn’t been a gun... And every
death is a call to act. Disturbingly, U.S. children and
teens are 17 times more likely to die from a gun than their peers in
25 other high-income countries combined, according to the Children’s
Defense Fund. Our legislators must close the loopholes
and enact laws that will protect. But the recently introduced bill
SB 1193, which would allow school boards to decide to allow
administrators, teachers and staff members to carry guns on school
property, is horribly misguided. That list of 154 children shows
that the prevalence of guns in our communities is what makes
our children unsafe. No one but a police officer who is trained to
use both his/her weapon and good judgment should be allowed in
schools with a gun. I want my children’s teachers and administrators to spend their
in-service training time learning effective strategies to educate my
children. They don’t have time to develop and practice police offi cer
level skills in weapons handling and if they do, then they will not be able
to give our children the quality of education they need. We must keep
guns away from children, not saturate their world with them.
I decided to tie a green and white ribbon around a tree in my
yard for the month of December to honor and remember the
Sandy Hook children and all children killed by gun violence. I
had thought to take down the ribbon at the end of the month, but
instead will keep it up indefinitely. Backward legislation like SB 1193
shows we have a long way to go to change our gun culture. We must
remain mindful of all those precious lives already wasted.
Our legislators need to use common sense and enact legislation
that focuses on gun safety. Our legislators must enact laws
that require background checks for all guns sold, regardless of barrel
length. They must enact laws that get rid of high capacity magazines
and weapons that can kill 26 people in mere minutes. Legislators
who think the answer is to arm teachers are part of the problem.
Supporters of SB 1193 must be voted out of office. We need legislators
who will enact laws that protect children rather than further
the interests of the gun industry.

Julia Bumbaugh-Shah, Newtown, is a stay at-home mother of two elementary school
children.

[Fotomaniac2011]

Just another misguided neophyte who blames the tool, rather than the person using it. No concept of reality IMO.

[vetter3006]

I would rather have a trained act 235 security officer at each school who would be the first responder to help stop further damage.

[iamtommyboy]

She mentions that there are teachers who would jump between a child and a bullet. Well, that is nice and all, but all it does is get that teacher wounded and/or killed. Effectively taking the only adult, presumably the only one who may have a chance at defending the rest of the children, out of commission. Once said teacher jumps in front of the bullet, he or she has protected that one child, for a second.

He or she sacrificing themselves only adds one more body to the count. It won't stop the shooter from continuing to shoot kids and moving along down the hallway to the next classroom. Now, if said teacher had a gun, there is a much better chance of him or her taking the shooter out and ending the whole thing right there. Which makes more sense to you?

I also enjoyed her description of all of the kids who were killed at home by irresponsible or murderous gun owners. What does this have to do with large groups of children in schools being shot at in mass? Nonsensical bullshit.

[Gunsnwater]

anti gun astro turff. Dim whit.

[internet troll]

A question.....I honestly do not know..... What are police officer level skills? How much time do officers have to train with their firearms each year?

"They don’t have time to develop and practice police officer
level skills in weapons handling and if they do"

[scruff]

Two can play that game. If she wants to get all emotional and waive the bloody shirt, I'd like to ask her a question. "Ms. Bumbaugh-Shaw, if you could go back in time, would you hand guns to the teachers at Sandy Hook as the shooting started? Yes or no, would you give them guns or walk away?"

[CraigInPa]

Having designated schools and the areas around them as "no gun" zones draws those who want to inflict mass casualties to them. If people know they'll have a considerable amount of time before an armed response, they'll go there. You don't see these crazies going to the court house, which has armed guards. You don't see them going to the mall, which typically has a police cruiser somewhere nearby and guards in it. Un-doing the "no gun" zones makes those who want to inflict mass casualties re-consider their target. Allowing those teachers, administrators, and guards access to guns is a no-brainer.

As for the "stay at home mother of 2", she's citing 154 deaths of children by guns. How many are killed by knives? Would she eliminate knives? How about the thousands killed by automobiles each year. Would she ban automobiles? How about the number killed by drowning? Would she eliminate water? I've seen a lot of women like her. They'll do ANYTHING to protect their children from every conceivable hazard, no matter how wildly improbable. The next letter from her may mention the threat of space debris striking the school, and how they should build a shield over every school to "protect the children".

[internet troll]

How many are killed by knives? Would she eliminate knives?

One of the topics of discussion right before Newtown happened was a mass knife attack in a Chinese elementary school that occurred a day or two Newtown.

http://forum.pafoa.org/lounge-108/19...-children.html

Knife attacks are apparently a problem in China.

http://forum.pafoa.org/2096557-post-3.html

Someone on this site (not sure who) once made the point that people tend to default to whatever is available if they want to harm someone. I agree with them completely.

In the absence of guns there are plenty of other ways to harm people. But firearms are the most effective way for honest citizens to defend themselves against others who would do them harm.

[Grey Bearded One]

How much time do officers have to train with their firearms each year?

Most cops of my acquaintance view firearms training as onerous and avoid shooting like I avoid the plague.