Bill to Ban students wearing bulletproof vests to school

[Pug]

Kinda reminds me of the story a few years ago about the Arlington, TX pastor who forbid the women and girls of his congregation to wear bikini underwear.

I'm mildly curious as to how he thought he was going to enforce that.

Exactly the point!

[Hoi Polloi]

http://gizmodo.com/#!5700070/a-teacher- ... -in-school
and
http://www.telegram.com/article/20101116/NEWS/101119746" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

First I was thinking it was a spoof from The Onion.
Then I wondered if it was some smart alec teacher trying to highlight the ridiculous banning of everything that could possibly be used as a weapon.

Add in wondering if it was an April Fools joke and I'm right there with you. And this passed? There wasn't anything more pressing for the state of Louisiana to consider than deterring people's thoughts of self-protection in 2008? Insane.

[seamusTX]

This bill has a curious history.

It was introduced by Rep. Lowell Hazel at the behest of the Louisiana Sheriffs Association and particularly a sherrif's deputy who is named in the article that RPB linked to. Originally the bill made it a felony to possess body armor on school property. The state senate amended it to a misdemeanor.

According to debate from 2008 that is still online, supporters of the bill offered no evidence that banning body armor would have any more effect than banning guns on school property (which was already the case). Two disturbed students had been caught wearing body armor in recent years, but neither caused any harm before being apprehended.

Supporters of the bill also ignored the fact that school administrators can make a rule against body armor and enforce it by non-criminal disciplinary measures (as they do with cell phone abuse or cheating).

You can find these discussions online, but linking to them would be against the rules of this forum (due to vulgarity).

Mr. Hazel represents the 27th legislative district in central Louisiana. He is a Republican. He was first elected to the legislature in 2007. In other words, 2008 apparently was his first session. http://house.louisiana.gov/H_Reps/members.asp?ID=27" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Some ratings on his voting record are here: http://www.votesmart.org/issue_rating_c ... n_id=93726" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

He is also a Marine, FWIW.

Hardly your typical liberal socialist.

- Jim

[Dave2]

The Louisiana bill making body armor illegal in schools was House Bill 1153 in 2008. It was signed into law as Act 747 in July of that year by Governor Bobby Jindal.

You can search for it here: http://www.legis.state.la.us/searchweb.asp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- Jim

Really? Wow. Jindal just went down a notch in my estimation.

He was never all that high in mine. In fairness, though, all I know of the guy is that he was a GOP hopeful who seems to think that volcanos are fictitious. I got a negative view of him early on, so I stopped following him.

[CrimsonSoul]

this bill got me thinking.. I think we should propose some new laws...
1. it's only illegal to carry a handgun if you plan on committing a crime with it. That way only the criminals will commit crimes with handguns... BRILLIANT!

[The Annoyed Man]

Something very weird with the world when we're debating whether or not kids should be allowed to wear body-armor to school.

Jeez - come on.

Yes, it is weird, and terribly, terribly sad. I agree with you, but then a lot of what goes on in schools these days has little to do with classical education.

However, I can think of any of a number of reasons to allow it, and only one reason I can think of to ban it—and that is if you think that an active shooter might don body-armor to protect him/herself from police bullets. The problem with that line of reasoning is twofold: 1) pretty much every attempt to ban a means of personal protection for alleged reasons of the general welfare results in an advantage for law-breakers and a disadvantage for the law-abiding; and 2) if a person brings a gun (or guns) to school with the purpose of killing other students, he is highly unlikely to give a rip about whether or not he is allowed to wear armor. If he's got it... he's going to wear it. What the principal or the law allows is irrelevant.

For every actual mass shooting perpetrator, there are dozens of actual victims. So, for a school administrator (or legislator) to ban body-armor worn by students says that that administrator would would rather have dozens of dead victims than one (possibly) live active shooter. It's a calculus that doesn't stand up to scrutiny.

For the record, I'm not advocating whether kids should or shouldn't wear it. I'm just saying that if their parents want them to wear it, then who the hell is a school administrator or legislator to say "No?" .......particularly when it is worn out of sight, underneath their regular clothing. It's not like the kids are asking to go to school with their underwear on their heads. Some schools are just darn dangerous. If body-armor helps a kid to feel safer in school (resulting in better focus on their studies, etc.), then what possible harm is there in it?

Anyway, that's my take on it.

[baldeagle]

TAM, you have articulated exactly what is wrong with America today. Freedom says I can put my kids in bulletproof vests if I want to. Tyranny says no you can't. We have far too little freedom these days and more than enough tyranny.