NC School Safety Committee's First Meeting

The North Carolina Joint Legislative Committee on School Safety will have its first meeting this Wednesday in Raleigh. Here are some of the details:

What:   The School Safety Committee’s first meeting

Where:   Room 643 of the Legislative Office Building in Raleigh.

When:   Wednesday, March 21st at 9am to Noon, lunch then resume at 2pm

I can assure you that those opposed to allowing teachers to make the choice to be armed will be there.

The Bloomberg-funded North Carolinians Against Gun Violence (sic) is organizing its volunteers to be there. While there is no mention of a pre-hearing preparation session, I wouldn't be surprised if one is planned so as to coordinate their arguments for making children less safe in the name of safety. You can also be assured that they will fill the room with people wearing orange or red t-shirts with their slogans on it.

The NEA's NC affiliate, North Carolina Association of Educators, has come out against allowing teachers to be armed according to ABC Channel 11 Raleigh. I fully expect their lobbyists to be there.

The North Carolina Association of Educators argues teachers want to be armed with books and technology, not guns.

"It's a dangerous prospect to put out there and we would surely hope that the General Assembly would not even entertain that idea of arming teachers in North Carolina, but we will fight back if it does come forward," said NCAE President Mark Jewell.

As Tom Gresham made clear on this past Sunday's Gun Talk Radio, sitting back is no longer a viable option. We need to show up - in shirts and ties - and make the case for allowing teachers who choose to be to be armed. If we don't, our children and grandchildren will continue to be at risk in their officially gun-free zones. Those who oppose allowing teachers and administrators being armed will be there with emotional arguments, extraneous examples, and their orange/red t-shirts.

We may have the better solutions and arguments but they are better at packing hearings with their supporters. They understand optics better than we do. They and their media allies will run with that.

So, if you can be in Raleigh this coming Wednesday, please attend this meeting. To steal an argument from the gun prohibitionists, do it for the children!