Let's Really Protect Our Schools

[Jusme]

Re-published with permission from http://www.TexasFirearmsCoalition.com. Permission is granted to republish without editing.

Although I have been in the political and legislative arenas for almost all of my adult life, I am not going to get into politics while parents and other family members are grieving as a result of a mass-murderer in Florida. People who know me will find this statement unusual, but I don’t care one whit about politics, political parties, or left v. right. I don’t want to merely make a point, I want to make a difference. I want to change Texas law so that schools can tap into a giant reserve of experience and talent to protect our kids in school. The cost to schools will be little or nothing, so budget constraints will not be a factor.
In 2017, we changed Texas law to exempt volunteer church security personal from the Texas Private Security Act. This much-needed change allows people to volunteer to serve on their church’s safety team without fear of violating the law. Volunteers who have a Texas License to Carry a Handgun (LTC) can also carry their self-defense sidearms while serving. Thousands of church members are now serving their congregation at no charge making churches much safer than they were prior to September 1, 2017.

Schools should have the same ability to utilize volunteer security personal to help protect our kids. There are many tens of thousands of military veterans and former peace officers who would be willing, no eager, to serve their community and schools by volunteering their experience and expertise to protect schools. Appropriate background checks would be performed on all volunteers and the Legislature could even require such volunteers to have a Texas LTC.

Volunteers who are not military veterans or former peace officers should also be able to serve as volunteers. The Legislature could require these men and women to successfully pass the Texas School Safety Course created by the Texas Dept. of Public Safety in order to serve. (Only LTCs are eligible to take the School Safety Course and receive a certificate.)
I will draft a bill for the 2019 Texas Legislative Session that will accomplish this goal. The only opposition to the volunteer church security bill came from the security industry. Their motive was clear; they wanted to preserve an income stream. The “concerns” about training was merely a smoke screen for their true goal of protecting the industry’s income. We will likely see the same groundless claims raised against a volunteer school security bill, so Texans need to be ready to demand passage of this bill.

I will publish more information on http://www.TexasFirearmsCoalition.com as we get closer to pre-filing for the 2019 legislative session. Be ready to join in the campaign to pass legislation that will truly protect our school kids. As the old saying goes, talk is cheap; it’s time to make a difference.

Sounds great Charles! Keep us posted as to progress on the bill, and when we need to start contacting our reps, to sponsor the bill. This would be especially beneficial to smaller school districts, who may not have budgetary funds, to pay a security team, and who may still be using older buildings, with no money to make retrofitted security measures.

[stroo]

Great idea Charles. We need to require schools to harden themselves including locking all doors, limiting entrance during school hours, installing video surveillance on all entrances and ensuring sufficient armed security, either paid or volunteer in all schools.

In Parkland, the shooter entered through a stairway door. Failure one.
The school had one armed security person for a 45 acre campus with 3000 students. Fail two.
The hero coach/security guard wasn't armed. He performed heroically moving to the sound of the gunfire but when he got there all he could do to protect the kids was stand in the way of the shooter. It was a failure of the school system to fail to harm him. Fail three.
There apparently were no teachers or staff that were armed. Fail four.

How many years do we have to continue to have school shootings without recognizing that schools need to be hardened and quit being defense free zones!

If there is anything I can do to help you in this effort, I am more than willing to do so.

[LDB415]

I definitely support the idea and if accepted would volunteer at a local school. One elementary school is only 2 blocks from my front door. When might full qualifications and requirements become available?

[eureka40]

Fantastic idea Charles. Count me in.

[Scott B.]

I'm for it. Most districts will refuse such services, I imagine, BUT they won't be able to credibly say something can't be done outside of a constitutional convention or feel good/do nothing AWB legislation.

Might need some training dollars if they're going to get more than 60 to 72 through the DPS School Security instructor class a year.



As for military experience. I didn't learn to really shoot until after I was out. Cold War, Navy handgun training consisted of an afternoon of minimal instruction -- designed primarily to keep recruits from shooting the range staff -- and no more than 10 rounds fired through some clapped out 1911 22 conversions at 15 yards or more. Seriously, they could have sold those old things as maracas they rattled so much.

[Charles L. Cotton]

. . . Most districts will refuse such services, I imagine, BUT they won't be able to credibly say something can't be done outside of a constitutional convention or feel good/do nothing AWB legislation.

That will be covered in the bill. Politics and/or personal opinions will not be elevated above protecting schools and kids.

Chas.

[NotRPB]

Md. Delegate Proposes Bill That Would Allow School Employees To Carry Guns
http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2018/02/0 ... -maryland/

[Soccerdad1995]

If you ever want to learn how to launch a MK48 torpedo and what all goes into torpedo fire control and target tracking and analysis, look me up. Not all "combat" is done on the ground.

Trust me, I'm not trying to denigrate anyone's service. I am simply saying that for the purposes of this thread topic, which is school security, if we want to exempt veterans from training, then we need to make sure those veteran's actually handled a firearm as part of their service. Army = yes. Air Force / Navy = Maybe. I am impressed with anyone's ability to launch a torpedo, and I'm sure it is plenty complicated, but it is not really all that relevant to school protection (unless the shooter happens to be attacking from the bottom of the swimming pool). Same goes for my training on how to calculate fire direction commands for a howitzer. Interesting and possibly also impressive, but not all that relevant.

Personally, I would be in favor of requiring volunteers to have a LTC, at a minimum. Realistically, they probably need a more targeted training that includes things like rules of engagement, coordination between security force members, and skills other than direct engagement of a shooter like how to effectively get exposed students to cover, first aid, etc., etc. I, personally do not think that any type of military service would be completely sufficient on it's own.

[anygunanywhere]

If you ever want to learn how to launch a MK48 torpedo and what all goes into torpedo fire control and target tracking and analysis, look me up. Not all "combat" is done on the ground.

Trust me, I'm not trying to denigrate anyone's service. I am simply saying that for the purposes of this thread topic, which is school security, if we want to exempt veterans from training, then we need to make sure those veteran's actually handled a firearm as part of their service. Army = yes. Air Force / Navy = Maybe. I am impressed with anyone's ability to launch a torpedo, and I'm sure it is plenty complicated, but it is not really all that relevant to school protection (unless the shooter happens to be attacking from the bottom of the swimming pool). Same goes for my training on how to calculate fire direction commands for a howitzer. Interesting and possibly also impressive, but not all that relevant.

Personally, I would be in favor of requiring volunteers to have a LTC, at a minimum. Realistically, they probably need a more targeted training that includes things like rules of engagement, coordination between security force members, and skills other than direct engagement of a shooter like how to effectively get exposed students to cover, first aid, etc., etc. I, personally do not think that any type of military service would be completely sufficient on it's own.

I understand exactly what you are trying to accomplish, however, imagine if you will the enormous task of passing this legislation, and then add on the problems with navigating around the issue of adequate military experience relating to firearms. IMNSHO I think what you are asking will confuse the issue. What is it going to tae to satisfy your requirements, A CIB? Purple Heart? What?

[skeathley]

I'm in. I am a Viet Nam veteran and SSC Instructor. As a former teacher, I think it is insane that we can't have armed security in every school, every day. Israel figured this out decades ago.

[Pawpaw]

I shot the M-16 many times in the Air Force and I have the Expert Marksmanship ribbon to prove it. (Don't be impressed... it wasn't that hard.)

As much as I love my pistols, I'd rather have my AR-15 when doing that job. It really is the right tool for the job, but that's certainly not going to happen.

[Noggin]

Like everyone else here I support this proposal. I do however have concerns about possible roadblocks.

Of course the liberal politicians will oppose this, as will some left leaning high ranking LEOs in some of our larger cities. As I see it the one group who have the political bias as well the power to disrupt the implementation of the law once it passes are the teacher's unions. School Principals either because of their own political views or caving under pressure from militant members of their staff may frustrate things. Groups of teachers could cause all sorts of disruption to the routine of teaching, even down to going on strike.

I think for this to work there will need to be some stiff penalties built into the law for those that attempt to frustrate it. Penalties that will mean that the normal protracted procedural niceties of termination of service can be short circuited.

[crazy2medic]

Kudos to Charles, this is what I was talking about, if the liberals fight on this they should be hoisted on there own petard! They scream about protecting the children then leave them open to slaughter by the ridiculous "gun free zones" lets really protect out children, lets make Texas the leading example of no school shootings!

[locke_n_load]

I am a licensed Level 3 Commissioned Security Guard, Level 4 Personal Protection Officer (Body Guard) and the Executive Officer of a Security Company, and a LTC holder.

I say let's do it.

Whatever it takes... require retention holsters, not allow OC, require to pass a MMPI psych test like a Level 4 bodyguard has to, but let's open up law abiding citizens to be able to carry in all schools one way or another.

You might also add an exemption for a licensed Level 4 since they have done a psych eval already. Just a thought.

Make the requirements too stringent, and you won't have many volunteers. Just a thought.