5723-year-old student killed 32 people; at
Connecticut’s Sandy Hook Elementary
School in 2012, whena20-year-old
shooter killed 20 children aged six
and seven along with six adult staff
members; at the Marjory Stoneman
Douglas High School in Parkland,
Florida, last year, when an expelled
student killed 17 students and staff
members. It isasobering morning.
Afterwards, we all needabreak and
it’s arelief to get outside.Iask Jeff,
53, amaths teacher, what brought
him here. “Our school is rural. There’s
nothing around,” he explains. The
average police response time to a
911 call is 18 minutes. “I am always
thinking what if, what if...” He says he occasionally hunted deer
with arifle, but did not ownapistol until his school principal
asked if he’d volunteer for this course. Doesn’t he think there’s
abetter way to combat gun violence, like banning high-powered
weapons, for example? “I don’t see how because there are so
many out there already,” he says. “If the bad guys have them
already, how are the good guys going to match up?”
“All we’ve done is react to demand from schools wanting kids to
be safe,” says Irvine, 53, an airline pilot who helps run the courses
as avolunteer. “Kids’ lives are more important than anybody’s
political motivations.Acop carriesagun for safety–for his
safety and for the whole community. So can we have an honest
conversation? We know that the vast majority of people in the
school building want nothing to do with carrying guns and we
don’t want to train them. But the reality is that every school has
someone like Victoria Soto [a 27-year-old teacher killed at Sandy
Hook trying to distract the gunman] who, on ‘event day’, will do
whatever they can to save those
kids. How about we give them
some training?”
That’s why, on day two of the
course, I’m standing at the door
of atraining house–awooden
construction with several rooms and corridors–waiting to go
in and confront the bad guy. I’ve gotaSmith &Wesson handgun
in my holster andIhave been through numerous drills and two
hours of target shooting. Anyone who has done any shooting will
know the cardinal rule–never point the gun at anyone. One of
the first things the instructors want us to do is aim at one of them
with our unloaded gun and pull the trigger. We have to be
reprogrammed to kill another human being. In my case, that’s
Warren,asixtysomething range-safety officer. “I’ve never been
shot by someone from England,” he says.
There is much else to practise: how to draw into different firing
positions, how to steady the gun, how to stand, how to push past
people safely with the gun drawn, how to wrestle the gun back if
it is grabbed, how to shoot on the move. Although no one will be
firing back, my adrenaline is pumping when it’s time to go through
the training house room by room, gun in the “chest ready”
position and pointing forwards. An instructor is standing just
behind, shouting “Bang!” every few seconds to drive up the
urgency–the sound of children being shot.
After managing not to fire atalife-size photo ofastudent holding
aCoke can,Ithen fire too quickly, hittingastudent brandishing
nothing more thanamobile phone, before firing twice at the bad
guy. Closer inspection of the paper targets showedIkilled the
student but only winged the shooter on the hand. My second
shot missed him altogether. School is no place foranovice like
me withadeadly weapon–but fortunately my fellow students on
the course had already undergone training in basic shooting skills.
The rawest recruit is Candice, 54, an IT teacher who had never
picked upagun until her school asked
if she’d be one of their armed-response
team.“I’ve only shot my pistol three
times beforecoming here,” she says.
For Candice and other teachersIspeak
to, however, it’s all about the chance to
fight back if needed. “I have never been
that type of person who thinks the
worst of everyone, butIhave been in
education for 21 years and the world
is adifferent place,” she says. “You can
never be too prepared.”On day three, we put all we have learnt
into practice in halfadozen “decision-
making scenarios” that ensure everyone
is put through the wringer, from dealing
with araving parent who has brought
agun into reception, to the teacher who’s lost his mind during a
staffroom argument and grabbedagun. The instructors also set
up acrafty scene where the shooter has killed himself and is lying
on the floor, butahelpful student has picked up the gun, instantly
making themselfatarget for any responder rushing in. The
instructors cannot believe we get through that one without the
student being shot.Afterwards, the teachers are dizzy from the assault on their senses
–and there is much to mull over. We are all replaying events in
our minds, wondering if we should have drawn our guns sooner,
or not at all. How will they react now if an armed individual
comes to their campus? For some, there are still concerns about
the responsibility they are training for. “I amabit clearer now,”
says Anthony,aschool superintendent.Ihad watched him in the
scenario of the violent staff member as he froze when the shooter
picked upagun and shot him in the chest. “I wasn’t sure what
to do,” he admitted. His instinct was to negotiateanon-violent
outcome. “As educators we err
on the side of caution. That’s
what we’re trained to do.”Nevertheless, he is convinced the
schools in his district should be
armed, provided volunteers are
regularly assessed for changes in their own lives that cause
instability. “From the get-go this is not compulsory; it is a
calling,” he says. “That’s howIview it. This whole thing disturbs
me, that we have to think this way–and yet knowing what we
know, I’m grateful for this type of training.” Robert, the school
principal who showed he could shoot likeamarksman, agrees.
“In school we pride ourselves on de-escalation.Iwill still do
that,” he says. But he is convinced the course makes him better
prepared mentally as well as practically to tackle an attacker.
“I am OK with carryingafirearm because, as the principal,Iam
going into that room anyway, whetherIhave agun or not. This
way at leastIwill getashot.”Icame to this remote corner of Ohio sceptical about the wisdom
of arming school staff. The training’s intensity and the dedication
of all thoseImeet convince me that they should be trusted with
guns in school. It may beaterrible indictment of life in America,
but these staff on the front line are clear that carryingaweapon
will give them the decisive edge they may need if the worst comes
to the worst. Perhaps–hopefully–the sign at the school entrance
stating “armed personnel on campus” will be sufficient deterrent.
It would be reckless to allow staff to carry guns without training,
and the exercisesIsee force the school staff to prepare for the
enormity of their new responsibility. It cannot be the final word
on the US gun debate. But if not even the terrible massacres of
Sandy Hook and Parkland can change the political weather over
gun ownership, it seems fair to give teachersafighting chance.Alonger version of this article appeared in The Times Magazine.
©The Times/News Licensing. Some names have been changed.The last word17 August 2019 THE WEEKThe training room: testing real-world scenarios“One of the first things the instructors want
us to do is aim at one of them and pull the
trigger. We have to be reprogrammed to kill”