There’s probably no good way to handle someone entering a school with an automatic weapon, but it seems like running would be better than teaching children to throw pencils.
You are welcome to share anything you find on this site. Please link back to jimrigby.org.
There’s probably no good way to handle someone entering a school with an automatic weapon, but it seems like running would be better than teaching children to throw pencils.
Looks like they’re teaching kids to throw things to help create an opportunity to run. That’s not so bed, I think. Honestly, though, knowing they’re less likely to walk into a situation where they’re the one with all the power might make potential shooters less interested. It’s all about power they think they’re being denied and if even the weakest of victims may be willing to fight back with the smallest of weapons that might create a new kind of dynamic. It might also be helpful to kids caught in the situation to have something to give them a little more sense of control. So they know if they’re completely trapped they can do something other than freeze or freak out.
I definitely agree kids should run first, though.
Suzanne,
That may be what they are thinking. It’s a catch 22. If you start throwing erasers and pencils at someone with an assault rifle, it seems like you would be more likely to provoke a blood bath than to prevent it. I agree it’s better for children to feel they aren’t helpless, so that may be that’s all the school administrators are thinking about.
I guess every school could have an armed guard, but I just don’t understand the argument for keeping these military grade weapons available to the general public so that these tragedies have to be a part of our world. If people were arrested for even having such weapons then it seems like we would eventually be safer. But, thank you for writing in. I hadn’t thought much about that possibility.
Jim