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