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By Chris Cillizza, Washington Post

Here’s an odd political reality: The collapse of the gun bill in the Senate last week may well make the passage of immigration reform legislation slightly easier.

“I think the continued intensity of the dysfunction of Congress on this [gun] vote will help immigration,” Democratic pollster John Anzalone said. “I don’t think the opposing senators — Democrats and Republicans — expected the reaction, backlash and how they were portrayed” in the wake of the failure of the amendment to expand background checks for firearms purchases.

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[Photo by wallyg]

By William Saletan, Slate

Mandatory background checks are a terrible idea. They burden law-abiding citizens and don’t catch criminals. The databases they rely on are riddled with errors. We don’t even prosecute people who flunk the checks. That’s why Republicans are against imposing such checks on gun buyers.

On the other hand, if you want to catch illegal immigrants, forget everything I just said. Running everybody through a database is a terrific idea. Republicans are all for it.

How did the GOP end up in this position?

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[Photo by Gage Skidmore]

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By Victor Landa, NewsTaco

Things to look out for this week: Guns and immigration.

As if this week were any different from the last  three or four weeks – but this time it’s real, and serious, they say. Both issues are coming to a head at the same time.

On guns, the President went to Connecticut and returned with members of the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre. They’ll be visiting lawmakers on the Hill to persuade them to pass a gun bill – this is especially poignant now that 14 Senators have signaled that they will filibuster any gun bill, in any form.

On the immigration front, depending on who you talk to or listen to, this is the week we’ll see an immigration bill…or maybe not. It could be next week, or the week after that. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said this weekend on television that a bill will be presented this week. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said no, not so fast. Accordiong to Graham, a bill on immigration won’t be ready for another two weeks. Be all that as it may, we’ll be watching.

Here are a few articles to the point:

Critical Week in Senate for Gun and Immigration Bills, The New York Times

Guns, Immigration And Budget On Washington’s Agenda, NPR

Budget, immigration, gun control: Congress returns to debate cornerstones of Obama agenda, NBC Politics

[Photo screenshot courtesy houselive.gov]

By Dr. Henry Flores, NewsTaco

I know I have written several columns or essays decrying the dangers of guns.  But in light of the recent Senate debate, highlighted by our own embarrassing United States Senator from Texas, que desmadre that guy is!  But, anyway.  What really gets me is the debate going on in Texas right now.  Our esteemed (in the old days one of my camaradas would ask me if the vatos were steemed?)  Texas state legislature is contemplating legislation that would allow students to carry concealed weapons on campuses.

The other day I had one of the higher-ups on my university campus tell me about the epidemic of binge drinking and drug use that seems to have affected our student body this year particularly the freshman class.  I’ve been aware of police escorting youngsters to rehab straight from the classroom in the morning.  I don’t know what’s going through their young booze and drug addled minds but they are almost as bad as we were when we were in school!  ¿Que no? 

            The word in higher education is that drug use and heavy drinking are at all-time highs these days perhaps this youngest generation sees no future for themselves and we are experiencing the 1960s all over again.  There has been less interest in fraternities and sororities for sure and more in social justice issues.  So who knows what’s really going on with the 17-24 year olds these days?

I say all of this as back drop to the carrying gun hearings going on in Austin, Texas.  Our representatives even held the public hearings during Spring Break when UT was away at the beach.  You know you can carry concealed weapons into the state capitol; they even have an express entry through security for gun carriers.  Nice move guys, your scheduling kept all students from giving their perception on this issue!

Still, lets think about this for a moment.  Guns on campus.  If the Texas legislature, which Molly Ivins once described as useless as a bunch of old furniture, passes the law then every student would be allowed a permit to carry a concealed weapon onto campus.  OK, I can understand this.  But why would you want to allow students to do this in the first place?  Some super smart legislator will argue so that students can protect themselves against crazy drug addled students who amass large amounts of guns and ammunition in their dorm rooms!  So, we’re going to make it easier for more drug addled, heavy beer drinking students to have easy access to guns so they can protect themselves from other drug crazed, drunk students who decide to shoot up the campus on a Saturday night.

A couple of issues seem to rise to the surface.  If you allow all students to carry guns, we have yet to talk about the size of the guns or ammunition on campus, then you have a situation where the faculty and administrators begin feeling intimidated.  So, I think that our brilliant state legislature needs to add a rider to the legislation letting all faculty and staff to carry guns on campus as well.  We need to have the right to protect ourselves from all the drug addled students who are amassing guns and ammunition in their dorm rooms and who come to campus drunk or very “loaded” on something or other almost daily.

Oh!  Another thought just hit me.  If we are going to allow gun carrying on campus I would think that, particularly the more selective campuses, would have to insure that the students who matriculated were worthy of admission.  So, we need to consider changing our admission’s standards and make marksmanship and gun care and maintenance part of the requirements.  Now all admissions offices would have to open pistol ranges and create standards for shooting.  ¡Valgame dios!  We don’t just want to let any student carrying a gun into our campus.  We want good shooters who can take out a crazed gunman (they all seem to be men anyway).  If we really want to be selective we will have to give scholarships and additional student aid to the better shooters.  Oops, I forgot about affirmative action.  What of those students who cannot afford a gun do we give them grants?  How about those that show promise?  Do we create special summer shooting programs to develop their marksmanship and better their scores?   Just thinking out load here!

¡Mil disculpas!  Pero me olvide de los profesores.  What about faculty and staff?  Do we purchase guns for them or give them and extra $25 a month, added to their paycheck with the requisite deductions taken out, in order for them to buy an appropriate gun that will take out a crazed, drug addled student, wearing body armor?  How about gun training for the faculty and staff.  We can also make proficiency part of the tenure and promotion system.  So that any faculty not maintaining a good shooting record just won’t make the grade and will have to be let go.

Bueno, I think the Texas state legislature has their hands full and haven’t thought through the entire law but they better start soon because we want to be sure that all students, faculty and staff who have a right to carry gun in nice holsters (I like a shoulder holster myself makes me feel so John Waynish) when the new year begins.

[Photo by Andrew-Hyde]

By Adrian Pantoja, Ph.D., Latino Decisions

The grim statistics and on-going stories about children, men and women killed by guns in America have led many to conclude that enough is enough; something must to be done to curb the senseless loss of lives gun violence. That something needs to be done is without controversy as Americans across the ideological divide desire safer communities. The controversy occurs over what needs to be done. The ensuing gun debate pits those who believe that the road to safer communities will come by way of reductions and restrictions against those who believe such efforts will do little to reduce gun-related violence.

Latino Decisions conducted a national survey of the Latino electorate to establish where these voters stand on different gun control policy options under consideration in national, state and local governments. Specifically, these voters were asked if they supported or opposed: (1) requiring background checks before people can buy guns in stores and gun shows; (2) establishing a national database of gun owners; (3) making it illegal for people with documented mental illness to purchase and own guns; (4) limiting the capacity of magazines; (5) a ban on semi-automatic and assault weapons, and (6) allowing teachers. The results clearly indicate the majority of Latino voters hold a consistent set of opinions, supporting proposals that would reduce and restrict guns and ammunition.

Over half of all Latino voters support all five of the gun control restrictions included in the survey. The majority (57%) also oppose expanding laws to allow teachers or authorized campus personnel to carry loaded weapons in public schools. Policies that emphasize prevention and tracking are the most widely supported. Criminal background checks for potential gun owners is the most popular proposal, with 84% in favor, and a mere 13% opposed. A national database of gun owners is also widely supported by 69% of Latino voters. Another restrictive policy option, banning the mentally ill from owning guns, is supported by 64%. Limits on weapons and ammunition also garner significant support from Latino voters, including 64% in favor of a ban on high capacity magazines, and 54% favoring a ban on semi-automatic and assault weapons. Most Latinos do not want loaded weapons in their public schools, 57% oppose the proposition of allowing teachers and/or security personnel to carry loaded guns on campus.

The current debate over gun control largely falls along partisan lines. On the one hand, Democratic lawmakers, and President Obama, are calling for a ban on assault weapons and high capacity ammunition magazines, background checks, and other measures which are outlined by the House Democratic Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. On the other hand, Republican lawmakers and the NRA are opposed to many of these measures and prefer to focus on deterrence efforts and preventing persons with mental disorders from purchasing guns. Where do Latino attitudes fall along the Democratic and Republican divide?

In most instances Latino voters are on the same side of these policy issues, regardless of their partisan identification. To put these numbers in sharper context, 50% of Latino voters identify as Democrats, 38% as Independent, and 11% Republican.

The illustration above shows most self-identified Democrats, Independents and Republicans agree on several policy proposals, including background checks, banning mentally ill from owning guns, creating a national gun owner database, and limiting magazine capacity. Latino Democrats and Republicans are also on the same side on the matter of armed school personnel, less than half of Republicans (42%) and Democrats (35%) support the idea, though a very slight majority (51%) of independents are in favor. Banning assault weapons is the only issue where a clear partisan division emerges, with 65% of Democrats in favor, compared to only 41% of Republicans, and a mere 31% of independents

Last week the Senate Judiciary Committee held its first hearing on Senator Dianne Feinstein’s efforts to reinstate the ban on assault weapons. Our survey shows that Latinos are not indifferent to these debates. Large numbers are supportive of the Democratic proposals that allow law-abiding Americans access to certain types of guns and rifles. Latinos, like many Democrats, draw the line when it comes to assault weapons and high capacity magazines. A majority favor background checks and the use of a national databank of gun owners. There is little enthusiasm for having armed teachers and security guards in public schools. In short, our results demonstrate that gun violence and gun control matter to Latinos, and we contend the perspectives of the Latino electorate should not be lost on lawmakers tasked with the critical effort to address the tragedies of gun violence in the United States.

About the poll

Latino Decisions interviewed 500 Latino registered voters via landline and mobile phone, across all 50 states, from February 20-28, 2013.  Interviews were conducted in English or Spanish, at the preference of the respondent, and all interviewing staff was fully bilingual.  The survey averaged 7 minutes in length and has an overall margin of error or +/- 4.4%.  Complete poll results are posted here. For questions about the results, please contact Adrian Pantoja (adrian.pantoja@latinodecisions.com).

This article was first published in Latino Decisions.

Dr. Adrian D. Pantoja is a Senior Analyst at Latino Decisions. He also is also Professor in Political Studies at Pitzer College, a member of the Claremont Colleges in southern California. Prior to his appointment at Pitzer, Pantoja was on the faculty at Arizona State University and the University of Connecticut. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from the Claremont Graduate University. His research has appeared in numerous books and academic journals, including Political Research Quarterly, Political Behavior, Social Science Quarterly, American Behavioral Scientist, Ethnic and Racial Studies, Journal of Religion and Society, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, International Migration.

[Photo by leo.prie.to]

By Ray Salazar, CNN

During Tuesday’s State of the Union address, President Barack Obama spoke about gun violence, and he continues the discussion in Chicago today. He recognized in his speech, “our actions will not prevent every senseless act of violence in this country.”

As a high school teacher in Chicago, I want to hear more than an acknowledgment that shootings are happening, that young people are dying violently and unfairly.  I want to hear his determination to push through Second Amendment politics and assure us his leadership will make our streets safer. We might not be able to prevent every senseless act, but we must decrease the desensitization that encourages only one-word reactions to shootings: “Again?”

My first teaching job in 1995 focused on troubled teens at an alternative high school on Chicago’s Southwest side.

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[Photo by The White House]

By Dr. Henry Flores, NewsTaco

The President, in announcing his gun control executive orders, asked the American people that it required a critical mass of persons to say “Enough” to all the gun violence in our society in order to move congress toward meaningful gun control.  Well, I’ll join in the chorus.

All the “media talking heads” who are attacking the president are just creating noise to disrupt rational thinking about this issue.  As I pointed out in a previous column, I’m all for some “rational gun control.”  What we currently have is a great deal of irrational chatter proclaiming everything from “Obama wants to take our guns away so he can proclaim a dictatorship” to “Obama will be impeached if he violates our constitutional right to bear arms.”

Interestingly enough, the sorts of people creating all of the noise appear to represent extreme right wing thinking including “constitutionalists,” survivalists, militarists, mercenary-types, and conspiracy theorists.

The constitutionalists scream that our second amendment rights are being, or will be, violated.  I’m not sure they know what second amendment rights are let alone whether they are being violated.  A reading of the amendment itself will confuse rather than enlighten any conversation.  If one goes back and does some historical research one will find that the amendment was written initially to protect slave holders and those communities supporting slavery in the 18^th Century to carry weapons to protect themselves against some very angry enslaved Black people.  The militia that is spoken about was a group of informally collected individuals who happened to have guns that patrolled areas insuring order among the slaves.  There were as many as 250 slave revolts at one point and white folks in the South, even today, are afraid of angry and vengeful “slave fugitives” and rightfully so.  How would you feel if you were chained, beaten, raped, torn from your families and culture and made to work under inhumane conditions your entire life?  I’d be pretty angry too!

The survivalists/militarists I categorize under the same heading.  Many will cite the Doomsday Clock edging its way to midnight as reason enough to gather guns and provisions, go through military style emergency drills, take target practice saying that when the time comes for the end of the world they will be ready to defend themselves and their loved ones from marauding gangs of people who did not have the foresight to plan for inevitability.  Many of these are also military “fantasists” who wish they could be in the military but can’t for some reason.  When I returned home from Vietnam I encountered some of these people and they always lamented not having served saying things like “My draft number just didn’t come up or I would’ve gone” or “I would’ve gone but I got a bad back (feet, eyes, fill in the blank here).”  I always just looked at them and said “Yeah, I know.”  Now, I just tell folks “Actually you were lucky you didn’t have to endure what my brothers and I had to.  But thanks anyway.”

The mercenary-types scare the “bajeebers” out of me.  These guys, generally they are all males, simply are just out looking for a fight and being paid to do it.  I understand that federal officials pick up one or two of these every now and then trying to go to some faraway country to participate in whatever war is going on at that moment.  Two were arrested just the other day trying to get to Mali.  I’m not sure these guys even care what they are fighting about or for.  For these guys, war is just a job and fighting is their profession.

Finally, we have the conspiracy theorists.  I have never understood these folks but they can, and do, tie almost all shootings like Aurora and Newtown together as somehow these horrible, tragic occurrences were the result of planning and coordination by some revolutionary group or groups even the government.  These folks can really stretch their imaginations and can find some conspiracy behind almost any government action.

The people I didn’t mention are the criminals and those individuals who have emotional disorders but then again these folks will not be in the forefront of opposing President Obama’s efforts at controlling the most dangerous parts of our gun culture.  These are folks who will never be controlled and will present our society with ongoing problems.  These folks are the reasons why we have police departments and mental health professionals.  Still, because this latter category of people is so unpredictable we will continue to have difficulty controlling the violence they may cause.

Still, I agree with President Obama.  We need to stand up as a people and say, no shout “ENOUGH, ENOUGH!”  We need to do something about the uncontrolled weapons culture we have in the United States and we need to do it now because we are a culture where violence is just waiting to happen and as long as we don’t have a rational gun control policy we will continue to have unabated tragedies such as what we see in our schools, churches, shopping malls and streets.

[Photo by DonkeyHotey]

Por Maria Lourdes Pallais, Reporte Indigo

Barack Obama empieza el año, y su segundo mandato, con la mano en una sartén hirviente de doble mango: de un lado, la poderosa Asociación Nacional del Rifle (NRA, por sus siglas en inglés) y del otro, un Congreso de mayoría republicana seducido por los dólares de los dueños de las armas.

Este 2013 tendrá que sortear “la batalla del siglo” anunciada por la NRA para impedir restricciones a la compra de armamento por civiles en Estados Unidos. La amenaza de la NRA, que se escuda en la Segunda Enmienda de la Constitución que consagra el derecho a poseer y portar armas, surgió luego de que Obama presentara un plan por 500 millones de dólares para hacer más estrictas esas leyes.

Los guerreros del campo enemigo son los mismos que aseguran que el presidente afroamericano es comunista y nació en Kenia. Ellos, o sus primos hermanos, lo han llamado “hipócrita elitista”. Cómo se atreve a aceptar protección para sus hijos al tiempo que promueve una “zona libre de armas para los demás”, dice un video que colgó la NRA.

Son los mismos que dicen que los rifles no matan, que la gente sí; que hay que estudiar sus perfiles psicológicos y los de sus padres, no prohibir la venta de armas de fuego y cargadores de alta capacidad en Estados Unidos.

Son los mismos que acusan al psicólogo retirado Glen Rosen, quien encontró a seis niños huyendo de la escuela Sandy Hook en Connecticut donde Adam Lanza mató a 26 personas, de una “conspiración” con el gobierno al “inventar” la tragedia. También del lado enemigo, están los congresistas republicanos que reciben crucial apoyo económico de la NRA para sus campañas.

Según una gráfica del Washington Post, en 2012, 236 republicanos contra 25 demócratas recibieron apoyo de la NRA.

Y de acuerdo con un estudio citado también por el diario washingtoniano, 42 de los 100 senadores en la Cámara Alta aceptaron donaciones de la NRA en la pasada legislatura. En total, 88 por ciento de republicanos y 11 por ciento de demócratas del actual Congreso, en algún momento de su carrera política, recibieron apoyo económico de la asociación.

El debate

Es cierto que las armas no matan solas. Pero también es cierto que la gente puede hacerlo con mucha más precisión con un rifle que con un puño o incluso una cuchillada.

En este debate, uno de los más populares en las redes sociales en los últimos días, han surgido varios slogans, de uno y otro lado:
— Armas fuera del alcance de la gente no matan gente.
— Armas sin gente no matan.
— Gente sin armas no mata gente.
— Gente con armas mata mejor.

Juego de palabras aparte, todo indica que el ataque contra Sandy Hook fue la proverbial gota que derramó el vaso y, en general, los estadounidenses parecen estar más receptivos a aceptar restricciones en uno de sus derechos más preciados.

Según el Centro Pew, 85 por ciento de los consultados está de acuerdo en endurecer su venta, un resultado similar a la encuesta conjunta del Washington Post y la cadena ABC, donde nueve de cada 10 coinciden en incrementar el control.

Pero los dueños de las armas y los más de cuatro millones de integrantes de la NRA no participaron en esos sondeos. Y está claro que la NRA no obedecerá el llamado al “sentido común” de Obama.

Queda por verse si la Casa Blanca buscará algo más que una estrategia diseñada para construir apoyo político a las propuestas del presidente. Para sortear esta batalla sí necesitará armas de grueso calibre y fusiles de asalto.

By MSNBC’s Morning Joe Staff

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[Photo screenshot courtesy MSNBC]

By Sandra Lilley, NBC Latino

Click on picture to read story.

[Photo courtesy U. S. Conference of Mayors]

By Bryan Llenas, Fox News Latino

Click on picture to read story.

[Photo by Presidencia Mexico]

(Editor’s note: This story was first published in Huffington Post on 4/26/12)

By Huffington Post Latino Voices

Latinos are more likely than both whites and African Americans to favor strict gun control laws, according to a report released by the Pew Research Center on Wednesday.

The survey found that 57 percent of whites “say it is more important to protect the rights of Americans to own guns” while “just 37 percent say it is more important to control gun ownership.”

Latinos responded very differently. Just 29 percent of Latinos said that it is more important to protect gun ownership rights, than it is to control gun ownership.African American opinions fell in the middle of the two groups, with 35 percent of subjects answering that it is more important to protect the rights of Americans to own guns.

Latinos and blacks are also disproportionately the victims of gun violence — often…

This article was first published in Huffington Post Latino Voices.

[Photo by R0Ng]

More related stories:

Guns, Guns, y mas Pistolas!, NewsTaco

By Dr. Henry Flores, NewsTaco

Before speaking to this issue I need to discuss my relationship with guns.  Full disclosure and all that, you know.  I love guns.  I deer hunt when I’m invited.  I am a Vietnam combat veteran so have been intimately acquainted with rifles and guns for years.  I’ve been shooting since I was a child having spent time on a farm.  When I was growing up one of my responsibilities on the farm was “varmint control” and I got pretty good at it.  Varmint control is shooting rats, coyotes and other animals that feed off farm animals.  Rural counties used to pay bounties for certain varmints so I made extra cash this way beginning at age nine.

Now that I have that out of the way, I need to emphatically state that I am appalled at the state of gun control in the United States.  The other day in the San Antonio Express News I saw where a young Latino, he is 21, was sentenced to life in prison for shooting a man after a road rage incident.  His rap sheet indicated that he had been in trouble since a very young age having been arrested 15 times as a juvenile and was deemed a hazard to public safety by the courts.  In the same issue of the newspaper I saw where a member of the infamous Mexican narco gang, the Zetas, has been arrested and facing life in federal prison for attempting to run guns, many automatic weapons, from the United State to gangs in Mexico.

Nationally, we’ve had a young man walk into Taft High School in California and gun down a student, wounding two others in the process and then it turns out this person had a “hit list” he was working off of.  We had the heart rending mass murder of all those children in Newtown, Connecticut, the theater shooting in Aurora and I don’t even know how many other “wanna be’s” have been stopped from either shooting folks in theaters or schools.  We have had individuals sniping from freeway overpasses, shooting up shopping malls, and the list goes on.

And, how do you think the country responds to all of this mass murder.  Holding vigils, calling for gun control at all levels, and then silence until more violence occurs.

I’m with retired General McCrystal, you know the commanding general of our troops in Afghanistan who was fired by President Obama for losing face in a Rolling Stones article, that we need some sort of logical and practical gun control in this society.  As it currently stands all we have are somewhat superficial back ground checks on hand gun purchases.  Most of the gun runners use proxies, who can pass background checks, to buy guns for them.  There are also a large number of individuals throughout the United States who can sell you a gun “off the books” that are not registered.  How do you think guns get into the hands of violent criminals?

So, what is being done to change this chaotic policy area?  Nothing!  ¡Nada!  Nothing at all other than politicians at different levels wring their hands, send condolences, and participate in prayer services appearing somber.

Why is there so little going on to address this extraordinary loss of life?  Because gun enthusiasts and their spokespersons, such as the National Rifle Association (NRA), have a major role in gun control policy.

The NRA makes major campaign contributions to politicians and expects a quid pro quo in return.  The NRA employs a sophisticated and well-funded lobbying operation at all levels of government.  The NRA has played a major role in creating a gun culture in our society.  The NRA threatens politicians with their demise if these brave individuals dare go against guns.

The president has treaded lightly in this area appointing Vice President Biden to oversee policy in this area.  VP Biden has met with the gun lobby and various policy makers to try and come to some consensus surrounding government action in this area.  However, gun politicians and the NRA are not going quietly.  For instance, the governor of Texas, Rick Perry also popularly known as “Governor Good Hair,” has asked the legislature, popularly known as “useless pieces of furniture,” to pass legislation arming marshals for the state’s schools.  One Texas State Senator has also filed a bill allowing licensed individuals to carry concealed weapons on public university campuses.

¡No me digas!  The answer to gun control and prevention of public violence is more guns!?!  You have to be kidding me!  That’s all we need a bunch of gun happy, trigger happy, wanna be soldiers, cops and security folks walking around getting ready to gun play at the drop of a hat.  You don’t think any young children or innocent bystanders could be accidentally wounded or killed in a good old fashion Texas shoot out?  Do you?

[Photo by phoosh]

By Hope Gillette, Voxxi

Arizona’s Attorney General Tom Horne feels arming one school employee may be the answer to defending against school shootings and other forms of extreme school violence, indicates a report from CNN. He has proposed a plan that involves this idea.

Horne stated in a press release Wednesday that having an armed police officer in each school would be preferred to prevent school shootings and other tragedies; however, budget restrictions may limit the number of schools able to afford that resource.

In the absence of a police officer, Horne feels the next best solution is to select a school official, such as the principal, who would be “trained to handle firearms, to handle emergency situations, and possessing a firearm in a secure location.”

Horne has compared the proposed plan to that of arming pilots after the attacks on September 11, and according to him, this is the middle ground between the extreme of allowing all teachers to carry guns and doing nothing at all and failing to prevent another tragedy.

“The designated individual (no more than one per school) would then be authorized to keep a firearm locked in a secure place, and would have adequate communication to be alerted to an emergency in any part of the school,” stated Horne’s media release.

Horne’s proposal, which will soon be introduced into the state House for approval, is the most recent in initiatives around the country to increase the safety of U.S. children.

In the Texas town of Harrold, for example, teachers have been recently allowed to bring concealed weapons to school due to the facility’s isolated location; the nearest sheriff office is 30 minutes away.

“We don’t have money for a security guard, but this is a better solution,” Superintendent David Thweatt said to the Associated Press. “A shooter could take out a guard or officer with a visible, holstered weapon, but our teachers have master’s degrees, are older and have had extensive training. And their guns are hidden. We can protect our children.”

While arming teachers is seen as one solution to prevent school shootings, the National Rifle Association (NRA) has voiced its opinion that armed guards or police officers in schools is the recommended solution.

The organization has also stated it plans to create an emergency response training program which would be open to NRA volunteers who wish to specially train to protect children.

NRA spokesperson and CEO Wayne LaPierre compared the situation in the United States to a similar one in Israel, where school shootings were eliminated by the presence of an armed guard.

This article was first published in Voxxi.

Hope Gillette is an award winning author and novelist. She has been active in the veterinary industry for over 10 years, and her experience extends from exotic animal care to equine sports massage. She shares her home with four cats, a dog, a horse, and her tolerant husband.

[Photo by Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com]