This cartoon by Cal Grondahl from the Standard-Examiner relates to the call by Wayne LaPierre, the head of the National Rifle Association, to put armed guards in every school in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings.
The cartoon shows a school principal handing a weapon to one of his teachers. He explains that the teachers will have to take turns at being the armed guard since the school doesn't have enough money to pay for a proper one.
In fact, the cartoon is not so far removed from reality. A recent Gallup poll revealed that 64 percent of Americans believe armed school officials would be effective. Meanwhile, an Ohio gun owners’ group is launching an “Armed Teacher Training Program” to instruct teachers and school staff on how to shoot off firearms in the classroom, and similar programs are popping up around the U.S.
COMMENT
An alternative would be to equip all the children with bulletproof vests.
VOCABULARY
1. In American English a principal is someone who is in charge of a school [= headteacher in British English].
2. If people take turns or take it in turns to do something, each of them does their share of it, one after the other. • We took turns driving the car.
