"...Come To Think Of It, Maybe The Force Field Thing Isn't Such A Bad Idea, After All..."

Sign of the times.

Literally.



One Texas school district has unveiled a sign on school grounds warning that its teachers are armed.





Here's more from KDAF-TV in Dallas.

Back in January, the district voted in favor of school marshals. Some Argyle teachers will act as the long arm of the law under the state’s Protection of Texas Children Act.

Gun-toting teachers must have and maintain a handgun license; pass a psychological evaluation; and undergo firearms and emergency response training.

Some parents say the district is right on target.

“I think if a tragedy does occur, lives can be saved by guns being in the right hands, and I think the teachers here might be able to stop something like that and life can be saved,” parent Lacey Fenoglio said.

Argyle ISD Superintendent, Dr. Telena Wright tells NewsFix continuous training is required, and some training even took place over summer break. However, the names and number of pistol-packing teachers will not be released for safety reasons.

Seven states - Texas, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, Tennessee and Alabama - have passed legislation to make it legal for teachers to carry a gun following the Dec. 2012 Sandy Hook shooting.

Greg Coker, creator of the Shield 91 program that helps schools effectively arm teachers, talked to Brian Kilmeade this morning, explaining the process by which armed teachers are chosen.

Coker, a Special Ops veteran, says he is on a "crusade" to prevent another attack like Sandy Hook, which took the lives of 20 children and six adults.

He said the program is worth it if it can save even one life. Coker noted that most school shootings are carried out in about five minutes, but it usually takes police about 10 minutes to respond.

Coker said a properly trained individual can draw and fire in two seconds, adding that the goal is to delay the shooter's actions until law enforcement arrives.




In the category of "something better than nothing", this effort is both appreciated and understandable.

At the same time, it's important to keep something front and center in the mindset.

A sign is a notification.

Not a force field.

Just ask anybody who's ever been T-boned by somebody running a stop sign.

And sick, delusional, homicidal, suicidal intruders with everything locked and loaded and nothing to lose probably don't bother much with reading.

Again, something better than nothing.

But treatments aren't cures.

And we need cures.

Starting with recognizing, and immediately dealing with, the signs.

So that, someday, sooner rather than later...

...we can take down the sign.