Will JW's still be allowed to be teachers in Wisconsin?

by JH 7 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  JH

  http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,218067,00.html

  Wisconsin State Lawmaker Proposes Arming Teachers After Recent Shootings

  Thursday , October 05, 2006

  

  MADISON, Wis. — In the wake of school shootings in Wisconsin, Colorado and Pennsylvania during the last two weeks, a state legislator says he plans to introduce legislation that would allow teachers, principals, administrators and other school personnel to carry concealed weapons .

  Rep. Frank Lasee, R-Bellevue, said Wednesday that, while his idea may not be politically correct, it has worked effectively in other countries.

  "To make our schools safe for our students to learn, all options should be on the table," he said. "Israel and Thailand have well-trained teachers carrying weapons and keeping their children safe from harm. It can work in Wisconsin."

  Lasee stressed that the measure would hinge on school staff members getting strict training on the use of the weapons. He also acknowledged he would have to work around a federal law that bans guns on school grounds.

  The director of school safety for Milwaukee Public Schools, Pete Pochowski, expressed opposition to Lasee's proposal.

  "Statistically, the safest place for a child to be is in school," Pochowski aid . "We have problems in our schools, but not to the point where we need to arm our teachers and principals."

  Children in countries such as Israel and Thailand are far more vulnerable to daily violence than students in America, he said.

  "In the country we live in, we have a lot of freedom," Pochowski said, "and we have to expose ourselves to some danger to keep that."

  Funeral services were held Wednesday for Principal John Klang , who was shot and killed Friday at Weston High School.
• 

  TopHat

  That is NOT a good Idea....teachers can go ballistic too, or students can manage to somehow take the gun away from the teacher if he/or she is so inclined and use it againist the teacher or students. They would have a whole arsenal of weapons...no need to buy one when you can have weapons at you fingertips.
• 

  SirNose586

  That is NOT a good Idea....teachers can go ballistic too, or students can manage to somehow take the gun away from the teacher if he/or she is so inclined and use it againist the teacher or students. They would have a whole arsenal of weapons...no need to buy one when you can have weapons at you fingertips.

  Exactly. Besides, Mr. Pochowski is right: schools here aren't like ones in other countries.
• 

  kls

  I swear, all it takes is a scare and someone jumps to these stupid ideas . Teachers are not trained how to use a weapon in class nor should they be. They are there to teach our kids ,not to decide if someone lives or dies.

  Most schools have a under cover police officer that is trained and payed for this type of thing.

  You go Wisconsin
• 

  Bonnie_Clyde

  Yes, teachers can go ballistic. About 9 years ago a science teacher in Chelsea, Michigan, shot and killed the school superintendent, wounded the principal and another teacher.
• 

  jayhawk1

  I worked in a jail once upon a time. They issued pepper spray to the Sergeants, and while this looked like a good idea on paper, just as many deputies got it in the face as the inmates. I would hate to imagine what would happen if a gun (or even a stun gun) was issued.

  Jail Sergeants are supposed to be trained law enforcement professionals and I would never trust them with a gun. A teacher has no business with a gun. If they want to have some sort of defensive tactics training, I'm okay with that, but I would not send my child to a school where a teacher was packing.
• 

  blondie

  Wisconsin still doesn't have the death penalty.

  Wisconsin doesn't have corrections officers or jail staff carry guns.

  Wisconsin doesn't have a law allowing people to carry concealed weapons.

  Plus the current Democratic governor and Republican candidate agree that allowing guns in schools is not the solution.

  http://www.madison.com/tct/news/index.php?ntid=101850&ntpid=4

  Doyle, Green agree: no guns in schools
  

  By David Callender
  October 5, 2006

  In a rare show of unanimity, both Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle and his Republican challenger, U.S. Rep. Mark Green, are condemning a Republican lawmaker's proposal to allow teachers and other school employees to carry guns at work.

  Rep. Frank Lasee, R-Bellevue, says he will introduce a bill next year to allow teachers, principals, school custodians and other employees to carry concealed weapons on school premises if they complete a training course and are licensed.

  Lasee said his proposal is a response to a spate of school violence, including last week's fatal shooting of Weston School Principal John Klang.

  "This is a serious proposal to make our schools safer," he said in an interview.

  Lasee said the measure was inspired by policies in Israel and Thailand, where he said teachers have been armed in order to counter the threat from "Muslim terrorists."

  Both Doyle, who opposes a broader Republican effort to legalize carrying concealed weapons, and Green, who supports that bill, said they oppose Lasee's idea.

  Doyle said the whole notion of allowing citizens to carry concealed weapons "would take away a tremendous tool the police have on the streets right now to keep us safe."

  "Imagine a scene where somebody walks into a crowded room with a gun in his pocket and the police can't do anything about it because it's not a crime," Doyle said.

  Doyle has vetoed Republican efforts to pass concealed carry legislation; Wisconsin is one of only two states that do not allow any form of concealed carry.

  In an interview, Green noted that schools are already gun-free zones under both state and federal law.

  "I support those laws," he said. "I helped create those laws. I don't think we should have guns in the schools."

  Lasee's proposal also drew fire from Democratic attorney general candidate Kathleen Falk and one top-ranking Republican lawmaker, Senate President Alan Lasee.

  In a statement, Falk called the proposal "an extremely bad idea" that "would decrease public safety, not improve it."

  Falk's Republican opponent, J.B. Van Hollen, did not return phone calls seeking comment. Van Hollen has said previously he supports general measures to allow citizens to carry concealed weapons in public.

  In a statement today, Senate President Alan Lasee vowed to kill the measure if the Assembly passes it.

  "Let me be perfectly clear: As long as I am the Senate president, this proposal will not see the light of day in the state Senate," Lasee said, noting that he'd been contacted by numerous constituents who confused him with Frank Lasee. The two men are distant cousins.

  Alan Lasee, who also supports legalizing concealed carry in other settings, called Frank Lasee's proposal "nothing more than a poorly thought-out, knee-jerk reaction to the tragic events of the last few weeks," and said he will continue to support gun-free school zones.
• 

  bsmart

  In light of recent events, I thought this interesting.