Over my years as a prosecutor, Iβve been called out to dozens of officer-involved shootings (OIS). These are situations in which a police officer, in the line of duty, is forced to use their weapon to defend themselves or a third party.
A prosecutor is called out in the aftermath to begin the determination of whether the officer acted legally in shooting or shooting at another person. If not legally justified, the officer could be charged with a crime.
So could teachers who shoot at someone in their school.
Police officers receive rigorous training, not just with target shooting, but with active-shooter training as well. These are scenarios that, while simulated, have the adrenalin-pumping feeling of the real thing. These trainings allow for officers to experience not just shooting at a stationary target but at a person who is moving and shooting back at the police officer.
Shooting at a person who is a real and immediate threat to you and others in the midst of a highly stressful situation is extremely difficult, and in a very high percentage of OIS the officer misses their target. This is not because they arenβt trained well, but because in a chaotic, stressful and evolving situation it is simply hard to hit a moving target while trying to protect yourself and others around you.
Perhaps most importantly, police officers get significant training in when NOT to shoot. Even in a life-threatening situation, the officer must judge the risk to innocent people who might be in the vicinity and in danger of being shot and killed. Police officers are well-trained to judge when to shoot, when to use a less-lethal type of force and when to hold fire. And they have to make that decision in a split second while their heart is pumping, bullets are flying and bystanders are in the way.
Think for a moment of the teacher in a classroom full of students suddenly thrust into an active-shooter situation. While officers continually face danger on the streets, for a teacher it is likely to be a once-in-a-career decision, if ever.
No matter the training and good intention of the teacher, the same stress and emotions will apply. Add in that there may be dozens of students screaming and running while shots are ringing out. The well-trained officer often misses their intended target.
Are we willing to risk the lives of the fleeing students and hope the teacher is able to make that split-second decision to shoot or hold fire? And when the police enter the school to find an armed individual firing a weapon, do we want the officer to have to make the same split-second decision about whether this is a teacher or a shooter? The potential for tragedy is high.
Protecting students should be among our highest priorities. Adding guns to schools and arming educators is simply not a viable solution. Restrictions on those who can possess guns by requiring universal background checks is a start. Limiting the size of lawful magazines is another.
But arming those we trust to teach our children is simply a very bad idea.
