Tennessee Solves Mass Shootings: Arm Everyone

     If you wonder how today's reactionary Republican party gets any votes at all just check out Tennessee's solution to our recurring problem of American life over the last 15 years: turns out we need more guns. True we have 300 million already in circulation. However, we actually need more.

     Last Friday's tragic executions was a nadir in American life. We actually saw gun violence come to an elementary school. Everyone feels that this is a new low and cries out for a solution. Tennessee's solution is that we need more guns in elementary schools:

     "Tennessee has emerged this week as a center of the “the answer is more guns in schools” sentiment following the Newtown, Conn. elementary school shooting.
A member of the Republican-controlled legislature plans during its upcoming session to introduce a bill that would allow the state to pay for secretly armed teachers in classrooms so, the sponsor told TPM, potential shooters don’t know who has a gun and who doesn’t."

      "Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam (R) has said the idea will be part of his discussions about how to prevent a shooting like the one in Newtown from happening in the Volunteer State."

       "As has been seen following other mass shootings, there’s a strong segment of the gun rights lobby that says the answer to events like the one in Newtown is more guns in more places. But they’ve said the recent massacre shows how important it is to put guns into elementary schools, where even gun-friendly states like Tennessee don’t currently allow them"

     http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/12/tennessee-armed-teachers.php

     These are tough times to be a parodist huh? I mean this sounds like satire, or Colbert or something. But it's real. If you can arm everyone then at least we all have a fighting chance! Forget about laws, if you want to feel safe then you need to have the fastest trigger finger in the West.

     State Sen. Frank Niceley (R) has a plan:

     "State Sen. Frank Niceley (R) told TPM on Tuesday he believes it’s time for that to change. He plans to introduce legislation in the next session, which begins Jan. 8, that will require all schools to have an armed staff member of some kind. The current language of the bill — which is in its early form — would allow for either a so-called “resource officer” (essentially an armed police officer, the kind which most Tennessee high schools have already) or an armed member of the faculty or staff in every school in the state. The choice would allow schools that can’t afford a resource officer to fulfill the requirement without having to pay for anything beyond the cost of the training and, presumably, the weapon. But Niceley said schools should use the wiggle room to train and keep on hand armed staff not in uniform."

     "That’s the best way to protect students, he said.

      “Say some madman comes in. The first person he would probably try to take out was the resource officer. But if he doesn’t know which teacher has training, then he wouldn’t know which one had [a gun],” Niceley said by phone. “These guys are obviously cowards anyway and if someone starts shooting back, they’re going to take cover, maybe go ahead and commit suicide like most of them have.”

     While it's not possible to deny they're cowards, they're also what he also said: madmen. Remember, James Holmes, the guy who dressed up as the Riddler and shot up the Milwaukee movie theater? He thought he was in some movie or video game or something. He shot up all those people like he was the Riddler in some comic book. Psyhcotic obsessionals like this don't make rational cost-benefit decisions-'Oh, I read in the paper someone in that school has a handgun, but I won't know which one. I guess I won't kill 26 people after all!'

     I mean the idea that it will deter a sociopath like this is an illusion. On the other hand if it's a licensed policeman-as Tennessee already allows-that makes sense. However, the idea that if everyone has guns everyone is safer is the ultimate example of what the economists call a "failure of composition."

     "Niceley’s proposal has gathered some high-level interest. Tennessee’s governor told reporters Monday that he’s open to including it on the agenda for a January conference to discuss school safety. Nicely said he expect the governor “to be receptive” to his plan to use tax money to arm and train teachers."

     The governor of Tenessee likes it. I'm guessing we can't count on Senator Bob Corker's support for President Obama's task force?

     "Asked about concerns from gun control advocates that putting more guns in schools in the wake of Newtown might make them more dangerous, Niceley said the sentiment was naive. Not only does an unarmed school leave itself unprotected, he said, it also presents a tempting target."

      So when everyone has a gun will this be the high point of civilization?

     So we can be totally safe only where there are lots of guns everywhere-there will be no place in society where they aren't. I guess the pastors, priests, rabbis, and even nuns need to arm themselves. If you and I have a conversation the only way we can both feel safe and secure is if we both are packing heat and know how to use it. Still admit it: you'd feel a little safer if you knew your marksmanship was even a shade superior to mine...