Wolf Howling: police chief

Monday, December 17, 2012

Let The National Dialogue Begin - St. Louis Police Chief Calls For Arming Civilian School Personnel (Updated)

The police chief of St. Louis, Missouri has started the national dialogue - with a call for having some school teachers and staff to have weapons. This from the local CBS affiliate:

St. Louis County Police Chief Tim Fitch says it is time to talk about arming civilian school personnel following Friday’s massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, comparing it to arming airline pilots after September 11, 2001.

“I see it no differently,” he said. “Pilots have been armed now for many many years, we’ve not had another hijacking and the issue is, for the bad guy, he doesn’t know which airplane he’s getting on, if the pilot is armed or not.”

Fitch said the killing will not be stopped by legislation or laws. “If there’s somebody that’s really hellbent on doing something like this, they’re not going to care what the law is.” . . .

Update: At PJM, former police officer and detective Mike McDaniel writes similarly:

Only armed and capable school staff, ready to respond to an armed attack when and where it occurs, can possibly save lives – perhaps, even stop an attack before it begins. Even an armed teacher in another hallway when the first shot rings out will be able to stop an attacker far sooner than any police officer still minutes from even receiving a radio call.

Of course, this goes completely contrary to what the left and their conjoined twin, the nanny statists, of whom NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg is perhaps the best example, would find acceptable. Bloomberg, who spends his life with armed guards in proximity, nonetheless fails to see why guns should be of any use to anyone else. He is also a man with apparently little imagination. This from Hot Air:

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who politicized the Sandy Hook tragedy within hours last Friday, just wrapped up a press conference announcing new plans to fight gun violence and to counter the National Rifle Association with his own Super PAC. Bloomberg was asked by a reporter to respond to Rep. Louie Gohmert’s comments over the weekend that he wished the principal of the school, who died trying to take down shooter Adam Lanza, had a gun. Bloomberg responded by saying, “There are dumb statements and then there are stupid statements…..I don’t know what the gun would have done.”