Allowing teachers to conceal carry is something that folks really find troubling. They seem to believe that this will make their children less safe and put them in peril. Maybe they don’t trust teachers, maybe they think they are irresponsible, or maybe they just think they would be ineffective as defenders of children. Madison Schools Superintendent Robby Parker asked and answers this question in an important way in an interview with AL.com:

“Do we really want a first-year teacher in a gun battle with a terrorist? Do we think that’s going to make us safe? My answer is no,” Parker said.

Why this matters: In this scenario, that Parker himself developed, there are two options: an armed teacher versus an armed terrorist or an unarmed teacher versus an armed terrorist. The terrorists not being there is obviously a given, so in which scenario are the children in a better situation? If the teacher is armed, maybe she fires at the terrorist and misses, maybe she hits a kid, maybe she hits him, maybe he runs away, or maybe he kills her and is back in the preferred position of Robby Parker, the terrorist is unopposed and can do what he wants. Considering the gunman is there to kill everyone, how is the situation made worse by her having the handgun?

The details:

—  According to polling, Americans are split on the idea that teachers should carry in school.

—  Only one county in Alabama (Franklin County) allows trained personnel to carry and reportedly only one employee has taken advantage of that.

—  There are two bills in the Alabama Legislature concerning allowing teachers to carry, one that allows teachers to carry and one that allows volunteers to carry as well.

—  Hundreds of teachers are being trained in Ohio to conceal carry.

Dale Jackson hosts a daily radio show from 7-11 a.m. on NewsTalk 770 AM/92.5 FM WVNN and a weekly television show, “Guerrilla Politics,” on WAAY-TV, both in North Alabama. Follow him @TheDaleJackson.