A little while back, I was chatting with a teacher who wants to carry while she’s in the classroom. She’s wondering whether to ask her principal or superintendent about doing that.
I asked her: Could a parent carry while picking up a kid up from school? Yes. Could someone carry while delivering a package, or a pizza, to a school? Yes. How about a textbook salesman coming to a school to talk about curriculum materials? Yes. And so can you.
Note that these people aren’t coming there with guns because they want to guard or protect the children. They have guns to protect themselves. And that’s why you would have yours.
Now, it happens that sometimes, someone is carrying a gun for his own protection, but ends up using it to protect someone else. But that’s not why he’s carrying. And it’s not why you would be carrying.
Even if the people you work for would prefer, as a matter of policy, that the children in their care be left defenseless against armed attacks, they don’t get to make that decision for you.
If you bring it up, you’re asking for permission. And that gives them the opportunity to say no. If you’re a teacher, and your contract doesn’t specifically forbid you to carry at school, then you have the same rights as anyone else — to defend yourself, and to have access to the tools necessary to do that.
As the old Russian proverb says, it’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. And as the old American saying goes, it’s better to be judged by twelve than carried by six.
Remember the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy regarding gays in the military? Same thing here, basically. They’re not going to ask. There’s no reason for you to tell.
