| Dr. Ignatius Piazza's announcement a | | | | volunteer as a Safety Monitor. There is |
| little over three days ago that Front | | | | no reason for our children to continue |
| Sight Firearms Training Facility would | | | | to be victimized when free, professional |
| be offering free, comprehensive firearm | | | | training is available to stop school |
| training to designated School Safety | | | | attacks." |
| Monitors from any and all schools across | | | | Retired law enforcement firearms |
| the nation caused not a small amount of | | | | instructor, Mike Waidelich from |
| stir. Not surprisingly, many teachers, | | | | Bakersfield, California strongly |
| administrators and parents were | | | | supports the Front Sight concept of |
| frightened by this notion. Many | | | | arming and training teachers. |
| conservative thinkers (that's small "c" | | | | "Nearly every tragedy on school grounds |
| conservative, not big "C" Conservative) | | | | in the entire 30 years of my law |
| are convinced that guns are evil; to | | | | enforcement career could have been |
| them the very thought of putting them | | | | prevented or the damage done |
| into schools is anathema. | | | | considerably limited, by the presence of |
| But knowledge is the key to this | | | | an armed and trained individual." |
| problem, for through knowledge comes | | | | In schools adopting Ignatius Piazza's |
| responsibility. With responsible gun | | | | program, teachers will be trained to |
| control in capable hands, school | | | | carry a concealed weapon, so potential |
| shootings, murders and atrocities will | | | | attackers will not know which teachers |
| come to a screeching halt. Dr. Ignatius | | | | are armed and which are not. As to the |
| Piazza, owner and founder of Front Sight | | | | effectiveness of concealed weapons |
| Firearms Training Facility, the largest | | | | preventing crime, Piazza references John |
| firearms training facility in America, | | | | Lott, Jr., from the University of |
| is willing and eager to do whatever it | | | | Chicago School of Law. Lott published |
| takes to prevent further horrors in | | | | Crime, Deterrence and Right-to-Carry |
| America. He is willing to train any | | | | Concealed Handguns in July 1996. Mr. |
| designated school staff members in | | | | Lott's research of cross-sectional |
| responsible, effective use of firearms, | | | | time-series data from all 3054 U.S. |
| to prevent further atrocities on school | | | | counties from 1977 to 1992 found that |
| grounds. | | | | allowing citizens to carry concealed |
| Dave Clark, a graduate of Front Sight's | | | | weapons deterred violent crime and |
| training routine and a recently retired | | | | appeared to produce no increase in |
| junior high school teacher of 25 years | | | | accidental deaths. If those states |
| had this to say about Front Sight's | | | | which did not have right-to-carry |
| training program: | | | | concealed handgun provisions had adopted |
| "Front Sight provides safe and | | | | them in 1992, approximately 1,570 |
| responsible training to a level that | | | | murders, 4,177 rapes, and over 60,000 |
| exceeds law enforcement standards. | | | | aggravated assaults would have been |
| Among the many lessons taught, I learned | | | | avoided yearly. |
| universally accepted rules in | | | | With such evidence and support, can we |
| justifiable use of deadly force. More | | | | as voters do anything but support both |
| importantly, I learned when not to shoot | | | | Dr. Ignatius Piazza and our school |
| and how to be more mentally prepared to | | | | districts in their decisions to send |
| see a lethal confrontation coming before | | | | their Safety Monitors to his Front Sight |
| it happens in order to avoid it. The | | | | institute to be trained for free? What |
| firearms training is second to none and | | | | school can afford to not send their |
| clearly gives the graduates the skill | | | | teachers to this free training? Speak |
| needed to save the lives of those in | | | | to your district officials, contact your |
| their charge if ever attacked. If my | | | | administrators, inform them of the |
| school district chose to adopt a policy | | | | necessity of arming your school's |
| of sending selected teachers to Front | | | | teachers - this is how we will handle |
| Sight for concealed handgun training, I | | | | America's epidemic of atrocities. |
| would wholeheartedly support it and | | | | |