Wyoming Teachers Might Be
Armed Soon
Just when it seems the political system is unsalvageable, some elected
official tries to do the right thing and gives hope for the future.
The person of choice is Wyoming State Representative John Eklund, Jr.,
R-Cheyenne. Eklund proposed House Bill 111 early in the 2014 session and it
completely reverses the trend that has been going on for 30 years. Eklund is
asking for a repeal an existing state law that makes schools, K-12, "gun-free
zones."
Eklund's proposal would allow teachers who are certified and have
a concealed-carry permit to bring their weapons to the schools essentially to
'act as a first-line of defense.'
In making schools "gun-free zones" the intent was missed. Those proposing
such bans thought it would make our kids safer, instead it set them up as a
prime target because people with evil intention know there will be nobody or
nothing inside capable of defending themselves and thwart the evil intention.
The proof such tactics were not working was the low number of non-suicides among
the gunmen when those armed authorities finally showed up.
Wyoming has just over 5 people per square mile. First-response teams are
often more than a quarter-hour away--even in perfect weather conditions. This
leaves a large window of opportunity for attackers, a window which Eklund's
proposal would close.
The bill cleared its first hurdle late last week. It must still be approved
by the State's Representatives three times before it can move to the Senate. But
it is a step that is long overdue.
The list of supporters includes two of the main support groups for the
original "gun-free zone" law passed--the Wyoming Association of Sheriffs and
Chiefs of Police and the Wyoming School Boards Association. The opposition is
headed, curiously enough, by the Wyoming Gun Owners and Kathy Vetter, president
of the Wyoming Education Association. Of the four, only Vetter's position stayed
consistent over the years.
Anthony Bouchard, head of the lobbying group that has long advocated
extension of gun-ownership rights, called the proposal a counterfeit gun bill
that is poorly drafted. "I don't think we need a knee-jerk policy to fix
something we could really sit down and get fixed." Bouchard, like most
one-position figures, can't seem to realize you cannot roll back the scope of
the last 30 years of banning gun ownership in one dash. This is a first step but
an important one. Take what you can get then expand the gain later.
Another bone of contention Bouchard has is the bill has no 'uniformity' but
leaves the decision up to each individual district. Sorry, but education belongs
at the local level, not a state or even national level. Put control back in the
hands of those who will be affected--the parents in that community.
Vetter, beating the old lib drum, said, "Allowing guns in schools could
make classrooms dangerous because of accidents." I agree. But how many times
have accidents occurred compared to the vast and rising number of intentional
"accidents"? Her main question went: "We've had people drop their guns here
(Cheyenne) in businesses and people have been hurt. How would you feel when it
is a 5-year-old kindergartner who is shot because that happened?"
That is a false-front argument that won't stand up in a mild Wyoming wind.
The number of people hurt in incidents she describes wouldn't cover one of the
individual school assaults across the country. The number of dead in her
'incidents' is one. The same can be said about maybe three school assaults where
the gun was illegally brought in from outside.
Both of the opposition cases are smoke screens. The biggest smoke screen is
coming from parents and teachers who claim they will leave the districts they
are currently in if guns are allowed. Great! It weeds out those who are so
concerned by safety issues they are willing to give up their liberties. That is
the mindset that got us into this mess.
Hans Hunt, R-Newcastle, voted to advance the bill. He summed up the
position of the support very succinctly. "I am a huge proponent of local control
and this couldn't be done better as far as addressing that issue."
Control and advancing liberty, can you think of a better way for
politicians to respond to any issue?
As a student who spent eight years in Wyoming public schools I can honestly
say we never suffered an attack. Anybody dumb enough to try would have been
mincemeat as practically everybody had hunting rifles in the back-window rack or
a pistol in the glove box. The weapons were openly displayed, talked about and,
better still, the youngsters who had them were pretty good shots. In PE class
they taught us how to shoot hunting arrows. That isn't the case today--witness
those parents who fear weapons. Guns never killed anyone, evil people with guns,
facing weak opposition kill with whatever weapon is handiest.
Follow House Bill 111. The Left will train big, big guns on it during
the floor debates and it seems the state's top pro-gun group will support them
by default.
This is one of the few proposed law bills in recent memory that deserves
every ounce of support that can be generated from those that believe in the
Constitution.
"I have sworn on the altar of God eternal hostility
to every form of tyranny over the mind of man."--Thomas
Jefferson
Data for this Rant was taken from the Wyoming
Tribune-Eagle, 2-15-2014, "Guns in Schools Bill Advances".
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