The Uvalde, Texas, school shooting earlier this year was yet another heartbreaking and tragic example of a bad guy taking advantage of a soft target, knowing full well that resistance would be minimal and body counts would be high.
While anti-gunners consider firearms dangerous simply for existing, common sense, logical-thinking people understand that the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun — an active shooter — is by giving trained good guys a gun. Nothing is guaranteed in any situation, but it boosts the odds of survival of the children, which is all that matters.
According to CBS News, that’s exactly what’s happening in a North Texas school district this week. The Keller Independent School District just became the largest school district in Texas to authorize its teachers to join the state’s Guardian program, which puts firearms within reach of qualified teachers and staff in instances when an armed defense could save the lives of schoolchildren.
CBS News noted:
The majority of Keller’s school board is advocating the use of a state law to create volunteer armed guardians in schools.
Proponents say they would add another layer of security to police officers who are already assigned to campuses in the event of an active shooter.
Not surprisingly, CBS News went on to passively criticize the idea by interviewing high school seniors who know nothing other than what they see in the movies or social media. However, the outlet quoted school board members who voted to authorize the program and believe it could save lives.
Board member Micah Young was one.
“More than likely it’s probably going to be 10 to 15 minutes before police arrive,” he said. “At what point do we put the opportunity into our favor?”
The meetings that led up to the vote were packed with supporters and some opposition. Again, CBS focused on the naysayers, but one has to imagine that a majority of the parents of schoolchildren are breathing a sigh of relief knowing that a qualified individual with a firearm in the school could stop an attacker before he’s able to inflict mass casualties.
According to Texas Scorecard, Keller ISD parent Joel Starnes was fully supportive of the program, saying, “This program is voluntary, strongly selective, and requires a great deal of training and full cooperation with law enforcement officers.”
“We put a lot of trust in our teachers, as our children are sent to their care five days a week,” Starnes added. “This provides them with more safety options to not only protect our kids, but also themselves.”
Texas Scorecard noted:
Some parents said they were “terrified” of teachers having guns inside classrooms, and representatives of the anti-gun group Moms Demand Action also spoke against the proposal.
Yet Young said more than 300 Texas school districts (about 30 percent) already use a guardian plan and “have not had a single incident” to date.
The district will develop details for implementing the program early next year.
Notably, the board vote, which came in at 4-3, was likely successful only because of the conservative majority on the Keller ISD board. Those elected to serve on the board upheld their promises to keep the children of their community as safe and protected as possible. That’s huge. And hopefully, the trend continues.
Hats off the the conservative majority on the @KellerISD school board! They just approved a “guardian” program allowing trained educators to be armed. All schools need this. Elections can have good consequences too!@TrueTXProject
— Julie McCarty (@heyjuliesue) December 14, 2022
It underscores just how critically and arguably more important it is to ensure that conservatives fill as many school boards as possible in the coming years, given the ever-present threats to our children, both physical and cultural.
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