I strongly support professors and teachers carrying, if they want to and have been trained. I have always favored it, but this personal experience shows why it's the only intelligent opinion.
True story:
I was teaching a college class one evening when a series of shots thundered over my lecture. It was a spring semester evening class; thus, it was about 7 PM, still light out, but the only people on campus were me and my students, one other professor and his students, a low-level administrator, and our security agent, who was armed only with a radio.
The shots kept hammering the silence. The administrator opened my door in a panic. His eyes were like dinner plates stuck to his face. He said, "We have an active shooter situation! Follow the training! Have the students huddle in a safe corner! Lock and barricade the door! Turn off the lights!"
Then he scurried away. I did what he said because it was the best plan in that situation. WHAT TOTALLY SUCKED WAS THAT because I am a law-abiding citizen and gun owner, MY FAITHFUL 1911 that was my carry weapon at the time WAS LOCKED IN MY GLOVE BOX IN MY CAR!
We were SITTING DUCKS! My students were terrified. Most were crying and texting. I was frightened, but I was also PISSED! I knew that if my faithful 1911 had been in my possession, then I could have killed the SOB shooter the second he entered my classroom and before he got off a shot!
But my 1911 was in my car because of the !@#%&*$ law! And now, I and my students might die because I obeyed the law. I was far more PISSED than frightened, but I had plenty of both emotions running through my veins.
After 17 super-tense minutes with shots ringing out all around us, multiple police cars arrived. We knew it because the flashing blue lights flashed even through the drawn shades in the room. The shooting stopped. We waited what seemed like hours for some sort of news. Finally, the administrator knocked on the door and identified himself in a loud voice. He announced that the police had apprehended 2 boys who were shooting their rifles on the adjacent lot.
In hindsight, we were in no danger. But I lived through an active shooter lock-down, and it felt as real as it gets!
That day I decided that despite all the concerns over which teachers should be allowed to carry and what might go wrong if teachers carry, THIS professor favors teachers carrying in the classroom!
[I posted this true story once before, but it speaks to the topic of this thread.]
is not a valid argument.
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