Teacher's Got a Gun
Call her Kindergarten Cop. Shirley Katz, a Portland, Oregon, English teacher is suing her school for the right to bring her gun to school.
Shirley claims she needs her 9 mm Glock to protect herself from her ex-husband. She also argues it would come in handy in case she comes up against any Columbine copycats.
So, let me get this straight, Shirley. Students aren't even allowed to bring so much as a pair of scissors to school, but you should be allowed to pack a loaded semi-automatic handgun in the event you have to interrupt a discussion of "The Sun Also Rises" to engage in a shootout with your crazed ex-husband.
If Shirley gets her gun, I know what I'd do if I had a kid in her class. I'd grab a curriculum, buy the books, and home school my kids in my gun-free house.
Hi, I work for BBC World Service radio in London and today (Friday) between 1.30pm and 2pm East Coast Time in the States we will be talking to Shirley Katz live in our international discussion programme, World Have Your Say. She is the Oregon teacher who wants to be able to take a gun to school for her own protection. If you would like to take part in the discussion, please email your phone numbers to martin.vennard@bbc.co.uk or call me on +442085761720.
Many Thanks
Martin Vennard