The state's top education official said Friday it's up to parents -- and not his agency -- to ensure that local schools have threat-assessment and violence prevention programs to avoid shootings like the one in Connecticut.
But John Huppenthal, who as a legislator voted to allow guns on college and university campuses, would not say whether he thinks incidents like this mean faculty and staff at public schools should be allowed to carry guns in defense of themselves and students.
Huppenthal, Arizona's superintendent of public instruction, said the Department of Education makes "state of the art training'' available. But aides had no immediate figures on how many of the state's more than 200 districts have gone through that training.
In the wake of what happened Friday in Connecticut, Huppenthal said that sends a message to parents.
"In response to this, it would be appropriate for them to ask their school officials, 'Have you gone through the training? Do you have a great relationship with your local police department?' '' he said.
And Huppenthal sidestepped questions of whether such training should be mandated.
"Those kinds of things can be an ongoing discussion as part of the legislative session,'' he said. Instead, Huppenthal said his agency would "strongly encourage'' school officials and staff are trained.
"We're a local control state,'' he said.
Huppenthal, who served in the Legislature for 18 years before being elected to his current post in 2010, voted repeated to expand the number of places where individuals can carry weapons.
That includes both bars as well as college and university campuses. The first measure became law; the second one, while approved by lawmakers, was vetoed by Gov. Jan Brewer.
In pushing the latter in 2009, Huppenthal said allowing those who have a state-issued permit to carry a concealed weapon to bring them onto college campuses would cut down on the number of massacres that occur there. In fact, he said, that has happened in Arizona.
Huppenthal did not refer by name to the 2002 incident at the University of Arizona, where three instructors at the College of Nursing were slain by student Robert S. Flores Jr., who then turned the gun on himself. But he said at the time the evidence shows that it makes sense, from a safety standpoint, to let people carry guns.
"The states that have concealed-carry (laws) have statistically significant smaller mass shootings,''
Huppenthal, a state senator at that time, said he did not support guns on public school campuses. But on Friday he was unwilling to say how he feels, one way or the other.
"Those kind of discussions are inappropriate at this time,'' he said. Huppenthal said he was speaking out not only to express grief but to let the public know his agency was looking at its own preparations, both to prevent these situations and to deal with them when they occur.
He noted that reports from Connecticut said this was not some stranger showing up randomly at this school but had links there. Huppenthal said that's why training in doing initial threat assessment is important, providing school officials some basis to determine if professional help is needed.
"The threat assessment is really the chance to catch this early on and prevent it from ever happening at all,'' he said. "A lot of these deeply disturbed individuals, if you identify them early, you can deal with that, they can get the help that they need, they can stay on the right track in society, and everybody can be a lot safer.''
But Jean Ajamie, the department's director of school safety, said that training is not required but only offered to school districts.
Huppenthal, asked if that should be mandatory, said that could be discussed by the Legislature when it reconvenes in January.
He also acknowledged that the Legislature, in paring the budget in prior years, cut money allocated for school resource officers, police officers based in schools.
"We know that it's been a tough economic environment over the last couple of years,'' he said.
"Obviously, intuitively, we would think that having a school safety officer on site would be something that would be helpful in this situation,'' Huppenthal said. But he declined to say funding should be restored, saying "that's going to be part of the ongoing dialog and discussion.''
Mike McClellan posted at 3:57 pm on Fri, Dec 14, 2012.
Huppenthal CANNOT believe that there are "preventative measures" to stop this kind of carnage, short of police stationed at every school entrance, ready to fire.
And if that's what he advocates, are his buddies in the legislature ready to pony up the millions needed to staff that?
Nope, there's no real way to stop a madman from committing the kind of carnage we saw today. In Weaponized America, the gun genie is out of the bottle.
And the NRA and its absolutist amen choir will do everything possible to prevent even the slightest of gun control measures from being enforced, in the hopes -- maybe vain -- that those measures somehow make the madman's plan more difficult to execute.
Nope, as the article points out, as a legislator, Huppenthal was of the "More guns make us more safer from guns" crowd. It works out pretty well, doesn't it?
Haddie Nuff posted at 4:00 pm on Fri, Dec 14, 2012.
The idiocy of those statements defies any kind of reasonable discourse.
bungknock posted at 4:19 pm on Fri, Dec 14, 2012.
You think that school was safe because having guns at school is against the rules?
At that incredibly safe school 27 people are dead BECAUSE GUNS WERE NOT ALLOWED.
I think faculty should be trained for and have GUNS.
You think gun control saves lives?
I don't know how many times I have heard this: "Just give the criminal what he wants, and everything will probably be okay".
What if the criminal wants your life?
People of the gun control cabal believe it is the citizens obligation to become a human sacrifice. It is okay if only YOU die and nobody else gets hurt. Maybe the police will catch the criminal.
Unarmed citizens become human sacrifices for the special interest of gun control freaks.
The gun control cabal has a moronic attitude, and maybe a darker agenda. Who do they really care about? Maybe they are just paranoid and scared of guns. Maybe they have an answer for why human sacrifice is a good thing? I really want to know what other stupid reasons they will come up with.
The gun control cabal believes that it is a citizens duty to become a victim and accept it. It is okay for victims of violent crime to have NOTHING to defend themselves. NOTHING to defend themselves.
Mike McClellan posted at 4:42 pm on Fri, Dec 14, 2012.
NIce job of distorting your opponents' views, bungknock, but there is a correlation between gun control laws and gun violence. In today's Washington Post, a writer points out that the states with the most restrictive gun control have "fewer deaths from gun-related violence."
Here's the link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/12/14/nine-facts-about-guns-and-mass-shootings-in-the-united-states/?hpid=z3
DataMan posted at 6:12 pm on Fri, Dec 14, 2012.
"The state's top education official said Friday it's up to parents -- and not his agency -- to ensure that local schools have threat-assessment and violence prevention programs to avoid shootings like the one in Connecticut."
WHAT THE HECK IN BLAZES DOES THIS FOOL THINK HIS JOB IS? TO GET FUNDING FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS???????? TYPICAL OF THE IDIOTS WE ELECT IN AZ!
Masterrogue666 posted at 8:41 pm on Fri, Dec 14, 2012.
Mike, I agree with PART of what you say. It's impossible to make schools protected, unless you spend an inordinate amount of money, and then the money no longer goes towards education.
As for your idea of gun control, I disagree. If I thought that by giving up my right to bear arms would keep me and mine safe, I'd be the FIRST to do so. However, I play fantasy games, I don't live in a fantasy world as you must! Let's take an example: MEXICO. Citizens there are not allowed to have weapons. So, whom is doing the shooting down there? CRIMINALS. The same thing would happen in this country if we give up that liberty. And if we get rid of guns, do you REALLY THINK that would stop the violence? We'd have to outlaw: Cars, knives, baseball bats, hands, et al.
Dale Whiting posted at 4:00 am on Sat, Dec 15, 2012.
Reportedly Connecticut has the strickest gun control laws [next only to California] in the nation. And we understand that there is a strong correlation between this sort of legislation and lower gun related deaths.
But let's stick to the facts of this incident. The owner of these guns, a school teacher herself, was found dead in her own residence. Common sense says if you own guns, you keep them secured.
So if any of you, Slabside included, own guns, lock them up. YOU, yourself, and your loved ones are the ones most likely to be killed by them and you, yourself or someone in your family are the most likely perpetrators.
Dale Whiting posted at 4:19 am on Sat, Dec 15, 2012.
Well regulated militia keep their arms secured in their arms room!
Dale Whiting posted at 4:19 am on Sat, Dec 15, 2012.
Let's make that a law!
soricobob posted at 5:03 am on Sat, Dec 15, 2012.
So, in the wake of a mass shooting in Connecticut, John Huppenthal thinks: 1. this is not the time to discuss it; 2. more (and concealed) guns is the answer; 3. parents should stop this shooting nonsense; 4. he can prove that more guns means fewer mass shootings. Why do we continue to allow people like this to speak to reporters!
Jasper posted at 9:23 am on Sat, Dec 15, 2012.
Has he ever heard of "in loco parentis?" Does he refuse to abide by school law?
mikedurham posted at 9:56 am on Sat, Dec 15, 2012.
Delaying discussion, promoting philosophy above educational responsibility, and failure to help local control improve does not solve the problem. Noting that AzDOE points at parents to solve armed assaults while trying to keep a door open for NRA fantasies is bad. Az statutes discriminate between responsible gun owners and others. Az DOE needs to ensure those statutory legislated beliefs are implemented to protect children. The presentation was disappointing in that the speaker did not refer to existing state statute; local control seems to rely on conservative philosophy ... which can keep everyone guessing.
scyntax posted at 10:02 am on Sat, Dec 15, 2012.
You cannot make the world safer by disarming law-abiding citizens. It is inherently unfair to give criminals more of an upper hand than they already have. You must remember that criminals will get whatever weapons they need to carry out some nefarious act.
You cannot call the mentally unstable individual that carried out this egregiously heinous act a criminal. He was a total mental case. They are the only type of people that could carry out such an act of pure evil.
Disarming law-abiding citizens is not the answer. That will in no way protect us from a severely mentally unstable person bent on carrying out an act of carnage against children.
Irons1 posted at 10:12 am on Sat, Dec 15, 2012.
Huppenthal is an idiot who should never have been elected, and he only was because of the R next to his name.
downtownresident posted at 11:48 am on Sat, Dec 15, 2012.
bungknock,
Both you and the "Hupper" are perfect examples of the lunatics that are running this state.
More guns on campus means more potential suspects to disarm and neutralize, taking valuable time away from stopping the bad guy.
Guns don't make you safe. They just give you a false sense of bravado and superiority that will probably get you killed.
90% of the people who carry guns are not properly trained to evaluate the situation, target backdrop, bullet trajectory and lethality. Not to mention the legal justification for use of deadly force. Pretending that you are Deputy Dog and dropping some supposed bad guy will get you jail time.
KEEP GUNS OUT OF SCHOOL!
Accuracy posted at 11:52 am on Sat, Dec 15, 2012.
Former state Legislature lawmaker, John Huppenthal, has supported a raft of bills to liberalize state gun laws, including allowing weapons on college campuses and in bars and restaurants. And after Friday’s Connecticut elementary school shooting, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Huppenthal was asked by a reporter whether teachers should be allowed to carry guns on school grounds.
“Those kinds of discussions are inappropriate at this time,” Huppenthal said. “We’re here to talk about the particulars of this situation. And to let parents know and to let people know that we are grief stricken over what’s happened.”
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Federal guarantees of the right to bear arms mean nothing if the city in which you live decides to ban weapons.
Additional gun-control will not stop criminal intent on doing harm and killing . . . because criminals don’t care about gun laws.
School children are most vulnerable to gun violence. They can’t defend themselves, and neither can the teachers. Schools are gun free zones, but only for the law abiding.
pnutman posted at 2:27 pm on Sat, Dec 15, 2012.
John--The Headline on your comment "Nailed" me right away...I was hoping the article would have been on Parental Control and Observing their children, WHO
you suspect of being what they call "60's WEIRD, or Arnsbarge disease, or Autistic or whatever.....It appears most folks are screaming for Gun Control BUT they are missing the boat, most anyone who would do what has been done in the Mall's,
School, College, environ have a PROBLEM-Let the PSUEDO Phycologist, in sum,
THE STATEMENT on PARENTS should be directed on Money for the School System to provide SECURITY.....VOTE for MONEY for SCHOOL SYSTEM SECURITY, check the folks who have observable mental p[roblems reported by responsible school officials, school mates, parents and friends....MONEY..
Get rid of violence in games and media....Some kids can't comprehend "WONDER DOG" It's in "The Book".......
SculptorDad posted at 4:44 pm on Sat, Dec 15, 2012.
Why don't these ridiculously overpaid teachers use some of my money to buy a gun or rifle and protect these defenseless children?
Irons1 posted at 10:51 am on Sun, Dec 16, 2012.
SculptorDad, we don't use any of your money for anything. You probably don't pay any taxes. You are an example of the ridiculously undereducated individuals who elect idiots like Huppenthal and make statements like you made. And by the way, I own several guns and know very well, how to use them.
Slabside posted at 1:00 pm on Sun, Dec 16, 2012.
How many of you know that Obama's administration dropped the ball on school security?
http://www.washingtonguardian.com/washingtons-school-security-failure