Gun Control Debate: NRA Vindicated by School Board's Decision to Put Armed Guards in Schools

Following the tragedy at Newtown Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, Conn., the NRA called for an armed response; to reverse course in making schools "gun free zones," or advertised unarmed targets.





NRA executive vice president, Wayne LaPierre, said, "the monsters and the predators of the world" have exploited the fact that most schools are gun-free zones, noting that other important institutions — such as banks, courts, and power plants — are protected with armed security. This suggestion was met with significant criticism in the media and from politicians. Yet in practice before Newtown, and even more since then, this idea has widespread acceptance.

 




 Some school districts already allow armed staff. Harrold Independent School District in Texas allows employees to carry concealed guns on school campuses. Employees must have a Texas state concealed carry license, and have completed firearms training, and have received approval from the school board.

A 2010 report from the Department of Justice, "Assigning Police Officers to Schools," states that an estimated one-third of all sheriffs’ offices and almost half of all municipal police departments assign nearly 17,000 sworn officers to serve in schools.  Nearly half of all public schools have assigned police officers, referred to as school resource officers (SROs).  The COPS in Schools program has drawn on research findings and police practices in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia, noting that even though laws, customs, and police practices vary from country to country, "it is apparent that the police everywhere experience common problems." Officers often support advance planning for managing crises, including assisting with: developing incident response systems, developing and coordinating emergency response plans (in conjunction with other emergency responders), and rehearsing such protocols using tabletop exercises, drills, and mock evacuations and lock downs.

The COPS in Schools program isn't new: former President Clinton provided funding for it in 2000 following the tragedy at Columbine, adding to the 2,200 officers in the program at that time.  Nor is Clinton the only Democratic president to formally support armed security in schools. As I have written previously, President Obama signed 23 executive orders following the tragedy at Newtown; Order 18 is "Provide incentives for schools to hire school resource officers." TIME magazine confirms that the president is "increase[ing] federal funding for school security." (January 28, 2013, p.30).  While perhaps not an end-all solution, armed guards have stopped shootings. The Associated Press reported that an armed school resource officer disarmed a teen with a gun during a shooting at a middle school in Atlanta this January.

Since the tragedy at Newtown, some schools are opting for increased armed security. Fontana Unified School District Police Department purchased 14 AR-15 rifles "to protect students in response to recent shootings," with support from Superintendent Cali Olsen-Binks, Fontana Police Chief Rodney Jones, and Fontana Mayor Acquanetta Warren. The AR-15 rifles will be stored on campuses in locked safes for responding police officers in the event of an attack.

Educators are also opting for training in armed response and active shooter response.  After Newtown, non-profit Buckeye Firearms Foundation announced that they would provide free firearms training to teachers and school administrative staff.  At least 600 applicants from Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and West Virginia have taken them up on the offer.  The foundation stated that, "More than a third of applicants are women. Over 70% percent are teachers, but there are also administrators, office staff, and guidance counselors. Half work in high schools, but many work in kindergartens, grade schools, and middle schools. And there's a fairly even distribution of applicants from urban, suburban, and rural areas."  Applicants will have to pass the same test as law enforcement to graduate the program, which also provides advanced level active shooter response training.

Even Newtown's school board has voted for armed security, voting unanimously to request an armed guard for each of the district’s four elementary schools. In Newtown, the argument isn't over whether it's a good idea to have armed guards, but rather if schools should have more than one armed guard. Board member Richard Gaines asked "Is that enough?"

Despite the lashing the NRA has received in the press for the idea of increasing armed security at schools, it has been and is increasingly the position adopted by our presidents, the Justice Department, police and sheriffs departments, many school districts, and the very educators and administrators who work with our children on a daily basis. Armed security may not be the final solution, but in the gun control debate, where many call for "doing something," this would seem to be a start.  It's hard to argue the point when even Newtown is adopting the practice.

By Matt MacBradaigh. Matt is a Christian, Husband, Father, Patriot, and Conservative from the Pacific Northwest. Matt writes about the Second Amendment, Gun Control, Gun Rights, and Gun Policy issues and is published on The Bell Towers, The Brenner Brief, PolicyMic. TavernKeepers, and Vocativ.

Follow Me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/2AFight  

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This article also appears on PolicyMic. (Original publication February 5, 2013). 

Gun Control Myth: The AR-15 is Not Actually a Hunting Rifle

The AR-15 rifle has been the subject of extreme controversy and national debate in recent weeks.

Many gun control advocates such as CNN's Piers Morgan, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, FormerPresident Bill Clinton, and Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) — whose proposed gun legislation would ban all AR-15's regardless of configuration — have argued that AR-15's are not hunting rifles, and should face significant gun control legislation. This contention is one that stems from ignorance or willful disregard for the facts. In reality, AR-15's make excellent hunting rifles and are normally used for that purpose. They are configurable via a separate upper and lower part that make it possible for the user to configure the rifle for various types of bullet cartridges. Depending on what game is being hunted, and what bullet the rifle is configured to fire, virtually all AR-15 rifles are useful for hunting.

The confusion may arise from the fact that the AR-15 rifle is what some gun enthusiasts refer to as a “platform,” which means it has modular components that can be swapped out. Rifles have what is referred to as a receiver. The receiver is the part of a firearm that houses the operating parts, like the trigger and firing bolt. AR-15 rifles have two major parts to the receiver, called an upper and a lower; the "upper" part can be changed on the same rifle. So while many AR-15's are chambered for .223 (5.56 metric), they can also be chambered for .204 Ruger, 5.7x28, .243 WIN, .260 REM, 6.5 Grendel, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.8SPC, 7mm, .30 REM, 7.62x39, .308, .338 Lapua, .338 Federal, .450 Bushmaster, .458, .50 Beowulf, .50 BMG and even 9mm, .40 and .45ACP handgun cartridges.

The AR-15 platform is known for its accuracy, especially over longer distances. For some types of hunting, this characteristic is particularly useful for successful hunts. Each bullet type has varying effective ranges. The .223 is effective from 400-600 meters. An AR-15 chambered in .308 has an effective range to about 800 meters; .338 Lapua's effective range is about 1500 meters; and .50 BMG has the range of about one mile.

How useful are these various kinds of AR-15's for hunting? Well, Piers Morgan's claim that you wouldn't hunt a deer with one is only sometimes true — if, and only if — you are talking about .223 chambered AR-15's, and more critically, depending on where you live. In many states — but not all — it's not legal to hunt deer with this round because some believe the round isn't powerful enough to kill a deer, but just badly wound it. But some states allow deer hunting with .223 bullets for a variety of reasons and differing circumstances. At any rate, a .223 is perfect for small-game hunting, like coyote, fox, prairie dog, or other similar small-sized game. This is also sometimes referred to varmint hunting and many AR-15's are designed and marketed specifically as varmint hunting rifles. These typically have longer barrels to give the bullet better accuracy at the longer ranges typically involved when hunting this kind of game.

Besides small game and varmint hunting, larger-sized game can be adequately hunted with larger-sized bullet chambering. Boar hunters often use 6.8SPC or .308 bullets. Deer or Elk hunters may choose a .308 or .338 Lapua for large game hunting. Some hunters even hunt black bear with .338 Federal. The designers of .458 claim that it will stop or seriously impair anything that moves. Likewise, .50 BMG is an extremely powerful round, capable of taking out vehicles if fired into an engine block, and is quite suitable for large or dangerous game (think Safari hunting).

All AR-15's are useful for hunting some kind of game. AR-15's are capable of having the upper receiver changed so the user can hunt different kinds of game with the same rifle. So depending on what one wishes to hunt for, from prairie dogs and coyotes to water buffalo, and deer and elk in-between, AR-15's do in fact make excellent hunting rifles.

By Matt MacBradaigh. Matt is a Christian, Husband, Father, Patriot, and Conservative from the Pacific Northwest. Matt writes about the Second Amendment, Gun Control, Gun Rights, and Gun Policy issues and is published on The Bell Towers, The Brenner Brief, PolicyMic. TavernKeepers, and Vocativ.

Follow Me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/2AFight  

Follow Me on Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/2ndAmendmentFight
 

This article also appears on PolicyMic. (Original publication February 1, 2013). 

The AR-15 Actually is a Hunting Rifle

by Matt MacBradaigh | Feb 1, 2013 | Gun Control Facts | 0 comments

The AR-15 rifle has been the subject of extreme controversy and national debate, with pro-gun control advocates, politicians and talking heads stating the AR-15 is not a hunting rifle – that no “self-respecting deer hunter” needs 30 rounds of ammunition. Education defeats propaganda, and the facts once again prove these claims wrong.

CNN’s Piers Morgan, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Former President Bill Clinton, Senator Dianne Feinstein, and others, have argued that AR-15’s are not hunting rifles, and should face significant gun control legislation. This contention is one that stems from ignorance or willful disregard for the facts. In reality, AR-15’s make excellent hunting rifles and are normally used for that purpose. They are configurable via a separate upper and lower part that make it possible for the user to configure the rifle for various types of bullet cartridges. Depending on what game is being hunted, and what bullet the rifle is configured to fire, virtually all AR-15 rifles are useful for hunting.

The confusion may arise from the fact that the AR-15 rifle has modular components that can be swapped out. Rifles have what is referred to as a receiver. The receiver is the part of a firearm that houses the operating parts, like the trigger and firing bolt. AR-15 rifles have two major parts to the receiver, called an upper and a lower; the “upper” part can be changed on the same rifle. So while many AR-15’s are chambered for .223 (5.56 metric), they can also be chambered for .204 Ruger, 5.7×28, .243 WIN, .260 REM, 6.5 Grendel, 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.8SPC, 7mm, .30 REM, 7.62×39, .308, .338 Lapua, .338 Federal, .450 Bushmaster, .458, .50 Beowulf, .50 BMG and even in handgun cartridges like 9mm, .40 and .45ACP. The AR is a very versatile platform. Technically, some of the larger round chamberings are in AR-10 rifles, which is slightly heavier than the AR-15. Most people, even many gun enthusiasts, would be hard-pressed to spot the difference by simply looking at the rifles unless they inspected them up close. It’s a safe bet many of the gun critics wouldn’t know the difference if they tripped over one.

The AR-15 platform is known for its accuracy, especially over longer distances. For some types of hunting, this characteristic is particularly useful for successful hunts. Each bullet type has varying effective ranges. The .223 is effective from 400-600 meters. An AR-15 chambered in .308 has an effective range to about 800 meters; .338 Lapua’s effective range is about 1500 meters; and .50 BMG has the range of about one mile.

How useful are these various kinds of AR-15’s for hunting? Well, the claim that you wouldn’t hunt a deer with one is only sometimes true — if, and only if — you are talking about .223 chambered AR-15’s, AND more critically, depending on where you live. In many states — but not all — it’s not legal to hunt deer with this round because some believe the round isn’t powerful enough to kill a deer, but just badly wound it. But some states allow deer hunting with .223 bullets for a variety of reasons and differing circumstances. At any rate, a .223 is perfect for small-game hunting, like coyote, fox, prairie dog, or other similar small-sized game. This is also sometimes referred to varmint hunting and many AR-15’s are designed and marketed specifically as varmint hunting rifles. These typically have longer barrels to give the bullet better accuracy at the longer ranges typically involved when hunting this kind of game.

Besides small game and varmint hunting, larger-sized game can be adequately hunted with larger-sized bullet chambering. Boar hunters often use 6.8SPC or .308 rounds. Deer or Elk hunters may choose a .308 or .338 for large game hunting. Some hunters will even hunt black bear with .338 Federal. The designers of .458 claim that it will stop or seriously impair anything that moves. Likewise, .50 BMG is an extremely powerful round, capable of taking out vehicles if fired into an engine block, and is quite suitable for large or dangerous game (i.e. Safari hunting).

All AR’s are useful for hunting some kind of game. AR-15’s are capable of having the upper receiver changed so the user can hunt different kinds of game with the same rifle. So depending on what one wishes to hunt for, from prairie dogs and coyotes to water buffalo, and deer and elk in-between, AR-15’s (and AR-10’s) do in fact make excellent hunting rifles.

This article was originally published on PolicyMic.com, now Mic.com. Original publish date Feb 1, 2013. Original author, Matt MacBradaigh.