Utah Teachers Flock to Gun Training

[bearpaw]

Utah Teachers Flock to Gun Training

Clark Aposhian, President of the Utah Shooting Sport Council, demonstrates with a plastic gun during concealed-weapons training for 200 Utah teachers Dec. 27, 2012, in West Valley City, Utah. (Rick Bowmer/AP Photo)

By CHRISTINA NG

Dec. 27, 2012

The perception of schools as sanctuaries from violence has been "blown up" by recent events and some believe it's time for educators to literally take the situation into their own hands and carry guns.
 
"We've had this unwritten code, even among criminals, that schools are off limits. Those are our kids. You don't mess with that," Utah Shooting Sports Council (USSC) Chairman Clark Aposhian told ABCNews.com today.
 
"That perception has been blown away now," he said. "It's been shattered and if there's one thing that parents across the country are united on, it's that they are committed to and serious about protecting their kids."
 
Aposhian spoke shortly before opening a weapons training class for teachers and school employees that drew more than 200 Utah educators organized by the USSC, a leading gun lobby group that believes that teachers should be able to fight back when faced with an armed intruder.
 
"One firearm in the hands of one teacher could have made the difference at Sandy Hook or Columbine, but they weren't allowed to carry in those schools," Aposhian said.

full story:  http://abcnews.go.com/US/utah-teachers-flock-gun-training/story?id=18075985
 

[bearpaw]

Free gun training program offered to 200 Utah teachers

By Crimesider Staff Topics Daily Blotter . CBS/AP

(CBS/AP) SALT LAKE CITY - Gun rights advocates plan to offer gun training for 200 Utah teachers Thursday, saying that classroom teachers could stop school shootings by carrying concealed weapons.

The Utah Shooting Sports Council said it would waive its $50 fee for concealed-weapons training for the teachers. Instruction featuring plastic guns is set to begin at noon Thursday inside a conference room at Maverick Center, a hockey arena in the Salt Lake City suburb of West Valley.

It's an idea gaining traction in the aftermath of the Connecticut school shooting. In Ohio, the Buckeye Firearms Association said it was launching a test program in tactical firearms training for 24 teachers initially.

Educators say Utah legislators left them with no choice but to accept some guns in schools. State law forbids schools, districts or college campuses from trying to impose their own gun restrictions. Utah is among few states that let people carry licensed concealed weapons into public schools without exception, the National Conference of State Legislatures said in a 2012 compendium of state gun laws.

"Schools are some of the safest places in the world, but I think teachers understand that something has changed -- the sanctity of schools has changed," said Clark Aposhian, chairman of the Utah Shooting Sports Council, the state's leading gun lobby. "Mass shootings may still be rare, but that doesn't help you when the monster comes in."

more:  http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57560936-504083/free-gun-training-program-offered-to-200-utah-teachers/

[bearpaw]

I just watched the report on the nightly Salt lake news. They said too many teachers showed up, some were turned away. 200 teachers recieved training.

[NW-GSP]

It's too bad this is not allowed in all states!

I would gladly donate money for teachers in our state to be able to attend training if it was legal here!

[TeacherMan]

Very cool! When was the last time you seem a police station attacked? I'm all about arming our teachers if they go through the proper training.

[Turner89]

Watching the report on the Utah teachers felt pretty good Thanks for posting Bear Paw.