Clute Institute 2009 Publication: Should Armed Guards Be Allowed in Schools in Light of the Recent Right to Carry Laws?

Neil, Benjamin A. (2009) "Should Armed Guards Be Allowed in Schools in Light of the Recent Right to Carry Laws?" Contemporary Issues in Education Research 2(4): 41-46. 

Available at: http://journals.cluteonline.com/index.php/CIER/article/view/7769

Neil, page 41	Cannabis News, posted by FoM on June 12, 1999 at 08:40:11 PT After Littleton, Opinions Differ on Guns on Campus [re-posting of an article on APBNews.com that was by Amy Worden].
After a string of gun-related tragedies in the nation’s schools, school boards across the country are trying to decide whether to arm the police and security officers charged with keeping order on campuses. The issue has vaulted to the top of the education agenda and sparked emotional debate among parents, teachers, students and police departments, with some saying armed guards are the best way to prevent violence in schools, and others arguing that arming officers creates a negative environment and increases the possibility of deadly violence.	After a string of gun-related tragedies in the nation's schools, school boards across the country are trying to decide whether to arm the police and security officers charged with keeping order on campuses. The issue has vaulted to the top of the education agenda and sparked emotional debate among parents, teachers, students and police departments, with some saying armed guards are the best way to prevent violence in schools, and others arguing that arming officers creates a negative environment and increases the possibility of deadly violence.
Neil, page 41	Andrew Trotter; “Schools Wrestle with Issue of Armed Guards”, Education Week, Vol24, Number 30, p1, 16-17; April 2005. [Note that source is correct, but Neil does not indicate that he is directly quoting from the article]
Interest in the complex question of whether schools need armed personnel is high among administrators, according to Ronald D. Stephaens, the executive director of the National School Safety Center, a nonprofit group based in Westlake Village, California, that advises and trains districts in security practices. (Andrew Trotter; “Schools Wrestle with Issue of Armed Guards”, Education Week, Vol24, Number 30, p1, 16-17; April 2005)	Interest in the complex question of whether schools need armed personnel is high among administrators, according to Ronald D. Stephens, the executive director of the National School Safety Center, a nonprofit group based in Westlake Village, California, that advises and trains districts in security practices.
Neil, page 41	John R. Lott, Freedomnomics: Why the Free Market Works and Other Half-baked Theories Don't, page 140. [Note that source is correctly given by Neil, but he does not indicate that he is directly quoting from the article]
States have clearly found a societal benefit over the last few decades in expanding their citizens’ rights to carry concealed handguns. It is revealing that no state that has relaxed its rules for obtaining concealed handgun permits has reversed course and instituted new restrictions (Freedomnomics, John R. Lott Jr., and PhD. 2007).	States have clearly found a societal benefit over the last few decades in expanding their citizens’ rights to carry concealed handguns. It is revealing that no state that has relaxed its rules for obtaining concealed handgun permits has reversed course and instituted new restrictions
Neil, page 42	“Liberalized Conceal Carry Laws”, Guncite.com, last updated 11/5/2005.
In 1987, when Florida enacted such legislation, critics warned that the “Sunshine State” would become the “Gunshine State”. Contrary to their predictions, homicide rates dropped faster than the national average. Further, through 1997, only one permit holder out of the over 350,000 permits issued, was convicted of homicide. (Kleck, Gary “Targeting Guns: Firearms and Their Control” pg 370. Walter de Gruyter, Inc, New York, 1997).	In 1987, when Florida enacted such legislation, critics warned that the "Sunshine State" would become the "Gunshine State." Contrary to their predictions, homicide rates dropped faster than the national average. Further, through 1997, only one permit holder out of the over 350,000 permits issued, was convicted of homicide. (Source: Kleck, Gary Targeting Guns: Firearms and Their Control, p 370. Walter de Gruyter, Inc., New York, 1997.)
Neil, page 42	Cannabis News, posted by FoM on June 12, 1999 at 08:40:11 PT After Littleton, Opinions Differ on Guns on Campus [re-posting of an article on APBNews.com that was by Amy Worden].
If the rest of the country behaved as Florida‟s permit holders did, the U.S. would have the lowest homicide rate in the world.	If the rest of the country behaved as Florida's permit holders did, the U.S. would have the lowest homicide rate in the world.
Neil, page 42	“Liberalized Conceal Carry Laws”, Guncite.com, last updated 11/5/2005.
John Lott and David Mustard, in connection with the University of Chicago Law School, examining crime statistics from 1977 to 1992 for all U.S. countries, concluded that the thirty-one states allowing their residents to carry concealed weapons, had significant reductions in violent crime.	John Lott and David Mustard, in connection with the University of Chicago Law School, examining crime statistics from 1977 to 1992 for all U.S. counties, concluded that the thirty-one states allowing their residents to carry concealed, had significant reductions in violent crime.
Neil, page 42	Cannabis News, posted by FoM on June 12, 1999 at 08:40:11 PT After Littleton, Opinions Differ on Guns on Campus [re-posting of an article on APBNews.com that was by Amy Worden].
School safety experts say security officers are becoming permanent fixtures on the school landscape. “More officers are in schools than ever before,” said Joanne McDaniel, research director for the North Carolina – based Center for Prevention of School Violence.	School safety experts say security officers are becoming permanent fixtures on the school landscape. "More officers are in schools than ever before," said Joanne McDaniel, research director for the North Carolina-based Center for Prevention of School Violence.
Neil, page 43	Cannabis News, posted by FoM on June 12, 1999 at 08:40:11 PT After Littleton, Opinions Differ on Guns on Campus [re-posting of an article on APBNews.com that was by Amy Worden].
In North Carolina, for instance, the number of schools employing officers has increased 85 percent since 1996, a move McDaniel said has led to a decline in the number of violent incidents statewide and increased the feeling of safety in schools. A survey conducted by the center in 1997 found that of 300 officers in 35 states, 97 percent carried weapons. “They really see the gun as part of their uniform,” said McDaniel. (APBNews.com; Amy Worden, June 12, 1999).	In North Carolina, for instance, the number of schools employing officers has increased 85 percent since 1996, a move McDaniel said has led to a decline in the number of violent incidents statewide and increased the feeling of safety in schools. A survey conducted by the center in 1997 found that of 300 officers in 35 states, 97 percent carried weapons. "They really see the gun as part of their uniform," said McDaniel.
Neil, page 43	Ted Goetzel, “Myths of Murder and Multiple Regression”, The Skeptical Inquirer, Volume 26, No 1, January/February 2002, pp. 19-23.
Two highly respected criminal justice researchers, Frank Zimring and Gordon Hawkins (1977) wrote an article explaining that: “just as Mr. Lott…can, with one model of the determinants of homicide, produce statistical residual suggesting that “shall issue‟ laws reduce homicide, we expect that a determined econometrician can produce a treatment of the same historical periods with different models and opposite effects. Econometric modeling is a “double-edged‟ sword in its capacity to facilitate statistical finding to warm the hearts of true believers of any stripe”. Within a year of that article, two econometricians, Dan Black and Daniel Nagin (1998) published their study showing that if they changed the statistical model a little bit, or applied it to different segments of the data, the finding by Lott disappeared. They found that when Florida was removed from the sample that there was “no detectable impact of the right-to-carry laws on the rate of murder and rape”. They concluded their study by stating that the “inference based on the Lott…model is inappropriate and the results cannot be used responsibly to formulate public policy”.	Two highly respected criminal justice researchers, Frank Zimring and Gordon Hawkins (1997) wrote an article explaining that: “just as Messrs. Lott and Mustard can, with one model of the determinants of homicide, produce statistical residuals suggesting that 'shall issue' laws reduce homicide, we expect that a determined econometrician can produce a treatment of the same historical periods with different models and opposite effects. Econometric modeling is a double-edged sword in its capacity to facilitate statistical findings to warm the hearts of true believers of any stripe.” … Within a year, two determined econometricians, Dan Black and Daniel Nagin (1998) published a study showing that if they changed the statistical model a little bit, or applied it to different segments of the data, Lott and Mustard's findings disappeared. Black and Nagin found that when Florida was removed from the sample there was "no detectable impact of the right-to-carry laws on the rate of murder and rape." They concluded that "inference based on the Lott and Mustard model is inappropriate, and their results cannot be used responsibly to formulate public policy."
Neil, page 43	Ted Goetzel, “Myths of Murder and Multiple Regression”, The Skeptical Inquirer, Volume 26, No 1, January/February 2002, pp. 19-23.
The problem with this is that America’s counties vary tremendously in size and social characteristics. A few large ones, containing major cities, account for a very large percentage of the murders in the United States. As it happens, none of those very large counties have „shall-issue‟ gun control laws. This means that Lott‟s massive data set was simply unsuitable for his task. He had no variation in his key causal variable-„shall-issue‟ laws- in the places where most murders occurred.”	The problem with this is that America's counties vary tremendously in size and social characteristics. A few large ones, containing major cities, account for a very large percentage of the murders in the United States. As it happens, none of these very large counties have "shall issue" gun control laws. This means that Lott’s massive data set was simply unsuitable for his task. He had no variation in his key causal variable – "shall issue" laws – in the places where most murders occurred.
Neil, page 43	Ted Goetzel, “Myths of Murder and Multiple Regression”, The Skeptical Inquirer, Volume 26, No 1, January/February 2002, pp. 19-23.
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s, David Boldt (1999), after hearing John Lott speak on concealed weapons and homicide rates, and upon checking with other experts, lamented that “trying to sort out the academic arguments is almost a fool’s errand.”	The Philadelphia Inquirer's David Boldt (1999), after hearing John Lott speak on concealed weapons and homicide rates, and checking with other experts, lamented that "trying to sort out the academic arguments is almost a fool’s errand. You can drown in disputes over t-statistics, dummy variables and ‘Poisson’ vs. ‘least squares’ data analysis methods."
Neil, page 43	Bruce Gottlieb, “How Many High Schools Have Armed Guards?” Slate, April 27, 2009. [author is mistakenly called “Gottieb” by Neil, and Neil does not indicate when he is directly quoting Gottlieb]
According to the data from the Department of Education, 19 percent of public high schools are patrolled by law enforcement officers during normal school hours. An additional 8 percent are patrolled part of the time. Among middle schools, 10 percent are guarded during normal school hours, and eight percent are guarded part time. Among schools with enrollment of over 1,000 – and this includes elementary schools, though there are probably few of this size – a whopping 39 percent of schools are guarded full-time (an additional 12 percent part-time). And what about other security measures? A few schools have installed metal detectors. Only 2 percent of high schools have them at the door, and an additional 9 percent use them to randomly check students. Forty-five percent of high schools conduct drug sweeps. (Bruce Gottieb, April 27, 1999, Washington Post).	According to the most recent data from the Department of Education, 19 percent of public high schools are patrolled by law enforcement officers during normal school hours. An additional 8 percent are patrolled part of the time. Among middle schools, 10 percent are guarded during normal school hours, and eight percent are guarded part time. Among schools with enrollment of over 1,000 students--and this includes elementary schools, though there are probably few of this size--a whopping 39 percent of schools are guarded full-time (an additional 12 percent part-time). And what about other security measures? A few schools have installed metal detectors. Only 2 percent of high schools have them at the door, and an additional 9 percent use them to randomly check students. Forty-five percent of high schools conduct drug sweeps.
Neil, page 43	David Boxenhorn “Armed School Guards”, Rishon Rishon, September 5, 2000 [Source is correctly cited by Neil, but he does not indicate when he is quoting directly from that source]
When Israeli schoolchildren go on a field trip they have to be accompanied by an armed escort. The ratio being one guard for every 15 students. If the teacher has a gun permit, he or she can be one of the guards. Usually, they ask for volunteers from among the parents to take up the rest. On May 31, 2002, as reported by Israel National News, a terrorist threw a grenade and began shooting at a kindergarten in Shavei Shomron. Then, instead of closing in on the children, he abruptly fled the kindergarten and began shooting up the nearby neighborhood. Apparently, he realized that the kindergarten was sure to have armed adults, and that he could not stay at the school long enough to make sure he actually murdered someone. (Rishon Rishon, September 05, 2004, David Boxenhorn).	When Israeli schoolchildren go on a field trip they have to be accompanied by an armed escort. I think the ratio is one guard for every 15 students. If the teacher has a gun permit he or she can be one of the guards, usually they ask for volunteers from among the parents to make up the rest. I never gave this policy much thought: it was just one of the many security precautions we take. But evidently it has a specific history: Ma`alot. Strange that I had to go to NRO to find out, and I got there via an Indian immigrant to San Jose, California: “On May 31, 2002, as reported by Israel National News, a terrorist threw a grenade and began shooting at a kindergarten in Shavei Shomron. Then, instead of closing in on the children, he abruptly fled the kindergarten and began shooting up the nearby neighborhood. Apparently he realized that the kindergarten was sure to have armed adults, and that he could not stay at the school long enough to make sure he actually murdered someone.”
Neil, page 45	Warren Richey,  “U.S. Supreme Court takes up gun-rights case”, Christian Science Monitor, November 21, 2007.
The case took the justices back to the founding of the republic to the speeches and writings of the framers themselves in an effort to decode a constitutional enigma that has divided appeals court judges and the nation’s most distinguished legal scholars.	The case, District of Columbia v. Heller, will take the justices back to the founding of the republic to the speeches and writings of the framers themselves in an effort to decode a constitutional enigma that has divided appeals court judges and the nation's most distinguished legal scholars.
Neil, page 45	Warren Richey,  “U.S. Supreme Court takes up gun-rights case”, Christian Science Monitor, November 21, 2007.
The Heller case is the first time since 1939 that the Supreme Court confronted whether the Second Amendment protects an individuals right of gun ownership or merely a collective right to keep and bear arms while serving in a state militia. The answer is important because it sets the ground rules for gun-control laws across the country. The right to keep and bear arms is an individual right, and as a result it will limit government efforts to restrict the prevalence of guns among law-abiding citizens. Gun control efforts would have to be reasonably related to a government interest, and entire categories of firearms – like handguns- could not be banned.	The potential landmark case is the first time since 1939 that the Supreme Court will confront whether the Second Amendment protects an individual's right of gun ownership or merely a collective right to keep and bear arms while serving in a state militia. The answer is important because it could set the ground rules for gun-control laws across the country. If the right to keep and bear arms is an individual right, it will limit government efforts to restrict the prevalence of guns among law-abiding citizens. Gun-control efforts would have to be reasonably related to a government interest, and entire categories of firearms – like handguns – could not be banned.