A core function of government is to provide for the safety and security of its citizens, according to the NRA. The NRA does not make me feel safe, therefore the organization ought to be dismantled.
Especially when they’ve got loons saying nonsense like this:
Texas is asking to spend federal Department of Education grant money to buy firearms for teachers that have gone through the states school marshal program. Teachers trained to carry firearms in school, in firearms, and the state needs permission to use federal money to do that. As you can imagine, the left is melting down. Anti-gunner’s outrage that the government would soon be funding firearms to put in the hands of educators. I would argue — of all the things schools use federal grant money for, this may be the most legitimate. It falls into the core functions of the federal government, provide for the safety and security of its citizens. In fact, using federal tax dollars to buy guns for teachers is more in line, and more in the boundaries of what the federal money should be used for than even textbooks or after-school programs. Guns in the hands of good guys has a direct impact on our safety, a core function of government.
Although he does have one point: education is not one of the core rights granted in the bill of rights. That’s more of a failure of the Constitution than an excuse to shut down education, and it’s certainly not a justification for arguing that educators ought to be supplied with guns before books.
slithey tove (twas brillig (stevem)) says
Schrödinger’s Patriot
https://pics.me.me/people-need-to-start-respecting-the-flag-of-the-government-inm-31439410.png
quotetheunquote says
Well, he’s got one thing right … this IS true for some values of “good guys.”
In the hands of police, for example, guns have a direct negative impact on the safety of many Americans (and Canadians – rip Sammy Yatim).
monad says
I guess the reported near-bankruptcy didn’t turn out? That’s a shame.
microraptor says
How could the NRA be going bankrupt with all the money they’re getting from the Russian government.
bowdsquared says
As an infrequent commenter I had to actually log in just to say “Dafuq?” Teachers don’t get into teaching to be police and/or soldiers. The job of the education department is to provide an education, the police exist for security. Hell, TX school districts even have police already in the schools. This request for funding firearms for teachers is a waste of money. We would be better served by giving them raises instead of a firearm. You can at least use the raise to eat, firearms aren’t a good substitute for food.
ridana says
So if the school has no textbooks, what would the students be doing at school in the first place? Sitting quietly at gunpoint?
LykeX says
@ridana
Yes! Then they could learn about true American values™, while also preparing them for the job market.
I’m trying to be sarcastic, but it’s really hard these days.
Jörg says
And when the teachers are armed, the NRA will find some reason to argue for armed students.
timgueguen says
There have been reports in recent days that Betsy DeVos was seriously considering letting government grant money be used to buy guns. House Democrats have called on her to reject the proposal.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/education/wp/2018/08/28/house-democrats-push-betsy-devos-to-reject-funding-for-guns-in-schools/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.60dc5d02fa53
A momentary lapse... says
So when does the classroom scene from Starship Troopers become reality?
microraptor says
Starship Troopers? This is starting to sound more like Assassination Classroom.
jimf says
“B b b b but the Second Amendment….”
I’ve come to the conclusion that the 2A is an anachronism, not unlike the $20 limit mentioned in the 7A. Further, it’s not like the framers were above reproach and never made a mistake. After all, we have over 2 dozen “amendments”, one of which was amended out of existence. Since the Constitution was ratified, it took us over 70 years and a bloody civil war to modify this document to end slavery and 130 years to allow women the right to vote. More than minor tweaks for certain.
Nemo says
“Promote the general welfare” is a core function of the federal government, according to the constitution. Seriously, it’s right next to “provide for the common defense”; you can’t miss it.
timgueguen says
Unfortunately some Americans probably think general welfare refers to some guy who fought during the Revolution.
robertbaden says
I doubt Sessions is convinced the Constitution guarantees black people the right to vote.
wzrd1 says
I’ll support the idea. Precisely when those to be armed teachers become trained and sworn law enforcement officers, with a pay supplement equal to a law enforcement officer’s salary, on top of their teaching salary. Paid for out of the school administration’s payroll budget.
Aim for the purse, every time, hit the mark and the cost not transferred will be enough to shut the idiots up.
microraptor says
wzrd1 @16:
The problem is that it’s not the school admins that want this, it’s the Rethugulans who want to destroy public schools, so this would probably be fine with them.
So we should make Betty DeVos and the NRA pay for it.
methuseus says
@bowdsquared #5:
Some teachers go into teaching because they want to teach and enjoy helping kids learn. Others go into teaching because they failed in some other major. In the early 00’s I saw more than a couple people fail out of math or business school programs and enter the education programs due to the lower academic requirements. And then they graduated successfully.
That isn’t to say that they always stay in teaching, but they do go into teaching for all the wrong reasons, so maybe they would love to have a gun instead of a textbook.
Azkyroth, B*Cos[F(u)]==Y says
The ones I had would, on average, have most appreciated being able to literally fellate the school bullies. Guns would probably have been an acceptable consolation prize.
Muz says
So socialism is fine for guns I guess.
Given how free healthcare is supposed to bankrupt the country and ruin a lot of vital industries and how the NRA is basically a small arms industry lobby group, that’s an argument that could get entertaining.
Ian King says
None of this is about guns, of course. It’s all about money and how it should be in their pockets and not yours. They just want to funnel tax dollars to the gunmakers.
busterggi says
So government paying for birth-control is wrong per Christianty and government paying for abortion is wrong per Christianity but government paying for guns to kill people in violation of one of Christianity’s commandments is okay by Christianity.