Text Book Defense

I love to hear these things. Caught this on Fox a few minutes ago.

A candidate for state superintendent of schools said Thursday he wants thick used textbooks placed under every student's desk so they can use them for self-defense during school shootings.

"People might think it's kind of weird, crazy," said Republican Bill Crozier of Union City, a teacher and former Air Force security officer. "It is a practical thing; it's something you can do. It might be a way to deflect those bullets until police go there."

Crozier and a group of aides produced a 10-minute video Tuesday in which they shoot math, language and telephone books with a variety of weapons, including an AK-47 assault rifle and a 9mm pistol. The rifle bullet penetrated two books, including a calculus textbook, but the pistol bullet was stopped by a single book.

Crozier said the demonstration shows that a student could effectively use a textbook as protection in a school shooting.

An Oklahoma Highway Patrol spokesman was skeptical.

"He probably needs to take a look at some ballistics tests," Lt. Pete Norwood said. "There are some rifles not even Webster's Dictionary will stop."

Interesting, but I think Norwood may want to think again. Most of the school shootings were done with small caliber weapons, not high-powered rifles.

I'm skeptical of the effectiveness, just because the shooter won't likely limit himself to the book in his shots. If you combine this with running away it may help. Or combine with fighting back.

Browne recommends students and teachers “react immediately to the sight of a gun by picking up anything and everything and throwing it at the head and body of the attacker and making as much noise as possible. Go toward him as fast as we can and bring them down.”

Response Options trains students and teachers to “lock onto the attacker’s limbs and use their body weight,” Browne said. Everyday classroom objects, such as paperbacks and pencils, can become weapons.

“We show them they can win,” he said. “The fact that someone walks into a classroom with a gun does not make them a god. Five or six seventh-grade kids and a 95-pound art teacher can basically challenge, bring down and immobilize a 200-pound man with a gun.”

Yeah, I'm skeptical on the 95-pound art teacher immobilizing the 200 pounder. I'm going to bet that won't work unless she has a gun, or a black-belt with a huge attitude. Getting a big man to back off is one thing, immobilizing him is quite another. Not saying it can't be done, just saying it's quite improbable, especially if he has bad things running through his head. If there is a bunch of people working together they may be able to pull it off. The problem comes down to having everyone react together. If too many people waver, those that react could be screwed, as in they get shot first.

It's better than laying on the floor and getting killed in any case. Columnbine proves that.