Editorial: Arming for the future

The St. Helens School District board recently lifted its ban on teachers carrying guns to school (with a concealed carry permit) and we are approaching the one-year anniversary of both the Sandy Hook and Clackamas Town Center shootings.

These events have gotten us thinking: What happens if a shooter comes on campus? What can we do to protect ourselves?

We know that Mt. Hood is a relatively safe and crime-free campus (knock on wood), but none of the schools that have had shootings expected them, and being prepared for the worst is never a bad idea.

MHCC has been working on implementing a few active shooter drills, but we have been wondering what can be done if a more spontaneous life-threatening incident were to occur? It’s not like the Public Safety pepper spray and batons – which is all the campus security officers currently carry – are going to swiftly hault a nasty altercation.

Obviously, we are thinking along the lines of guns.

Mt. Hood has been very clear rules about weapons on campus: They are not allowed, at all. Even though it would take a while for Public Safety and the administration to be persuaded otherwise, we think it would be a good compromise to have the full-time Public Safety officers carry weapons, and be trained to use them.

We aren’t recommending a team of armed personnel but two armed officers definitely should be around when things get intense. One officer would not be enough to defend the campus in a multiple-shooter situation.

Mt. Hood has 5,000 to 6,000 students here during most weekdays, except for Friday (figures provided by MHCC officials). We believe that a population this large warrants two effective personnel, at a minimum, to respond to an emergency, and be equipped for the worst. We do have local law enforcement agencies nearby, but a serious threat on campus calls for more immediate attention.

If we were to make this happen, it also wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a sign or advertisement announcing there is an armed presence at the school. That alone might deter nut jobs from getting any wise ideas.

Another solution would be what St. Helens did and allow teachers with concealed carry permits to have a gun.

This is definitely something to consider, and should be included in the conversation for teachers and students (if the proper preparations are made).

And we know that we are all (mostly) adults here, but we are not exactly comfortable with allowing every student to carry a gun around campus. It’s not like there would be routine shootouts breaking out during the day, but it still doesn’t feel right.

We know why this seems appealing. If someone had a gun on them during a shooting, there is a chance they could end it right there.

However, we feel that if the general population on campus is given that privilege, each individual would need to go through proper training and be checked for mental stability annually, beyond just having a concealed carry permit. It’s easy to talk the talk, but when you actually have to use a weapon, that’s a different story. And in order to properly regulate this, it would give the college all kinds of new headaches it can’t really afford right now.

We are just worried that if the worst happens, we wouldn’t be properly equipped to handle it. We think that having full-time Public Safety officers carrying weapons would be a no-brainer and that allowing others on campus to carry weapons, as well, should be discussed.