Gov. Bob McDonnell said on Tuesday that it may be time to explore the idea of arming teachers and other school officials.
The Republican governor made his remarks in an interview Tuesday on WTOP. His remarks came during a discussion of the killing of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Conn., on Friday.
The governor was asked: "What about the idea of allowing people — adults, supervisors, principals, teachers — to be armed inside the public schools of Virginia?"
"I know there's been a knee-jerk reaction against that," McDonnell said. "I think there should at least be a discussion about it."
"If people were armed, not just a police officer but other officials who were trained and chose to have a weapon, certainly there would have been an opportunity to stop aggressors from coming into a school."
"So I think that's a reasonable discussion that ought to be had," he said. "The key is don't overreact — really get to the bottom of what works and what can make a difference."
"If a person like that [principal in Connecticut] was armed and trained, could they have stopped the carnage in the classroom? Perhaps."
Do you agree with the governor? Tell us in the comments.
I ask the governor, why not consider working with the federal government to find ways to get assault weapons, etc. out of the hands of people who intend to ,misuse them? Why not work on bringing our mental health system into the 21st century? Last but not least, why not remember the adage, if you don't know what to say, don't say anything?
I always wished she could return to Virginia until today. Now I am grateful that she lives in a state where the Governor understands that arming teachers is not a good idea. I cannot imagine why our Governor thinks this is a good idea and hope he realizes many of his constituents are not in favor of his suggestin.
Is it really what we want?