| "I Have to Be Able to Protect My Kids"
BY TIM SCHMIDT - USCCA FOUNDER |  |  |  As responsibly armed citizens, you and I know that we can't rely on other people to keep us safe.
We carry firearms to protect ourselves, our loved ones and perhaps even complete strangers from the evil that exists in our world.
Of course, carrying a gun is a hefty responsibility, but we accept that responsibility because the alternative of not having a gun when we really need one is often unfathomable.
That's why I recently found myself applauding a 51-year-old superintendent from Hutsonville, Illinois, after reading that she took major action to help keep the students in her district safe.
The Hill reports that "Julie Kraemer, superintendent of the 320-student rural Hutsonville, Illinois, school district, has been an educator for 20 years. Kraemer told Time magazine that she was motivated to become a law enforcement officer amid rising concerns about school shootings."
Kraemer "began her training last year after one student at a neighboring [Mattoon, Illinois] high school was shot by a peer in the cafeteria," according to The Hill. In that particular instance, a teacher was able to disarm and stop the attacker. But the incident proved to be an important impetus in Kraemer's next move:
According to Concealed Nation, Kraemer "made the decision to enroll herself in Police Academy training."
"I think sometimes we sit back and think it'll never happen here, it'll never happen to us, it's states away," Kraemer told Time. "But that was really close to home."
Apparently, there weren't enough funds to bring in a full-time resource officer, and, as reported in Time, "Kraemer had often worried that her rural district ... would be a soft target." So the superintendent did what seemed to make the most sense: She took matters into her own hands.
Kraemer, who was an active concealed carry permit holder prior to enrolling in the academy, thinks that training is "essential" for any educator who "wants to carry a firearm on school grounds," Concealed Nation reported.
"If someone comes in to try to hurt my kids, we have something other than a stapler to throw at them. We're no longer a soft target. We have some options," Kraemer told Time. "I'm just going to be a superintendent that happens to also be a police officer."
Superintendent. Police officer. Protector.
My hat's off to you, Julie Kraemer.
Take care and stay safe, 
Tim Schmidt
Publisher - Concealed Carry Report
USCCA Founder
P.S. - Have you heard the good news? Gun-a-Day is BACK for the ENTIRE month of October! Purchase your Emergency First-Aid Training System, and I'll enter you to win 1 of 2 Kahr MK9 Elites [$987 value each]! |  | Why Do We Carry Guns?
BY: KEVIN MICHALOWSKI | | If we want to believe that we only do things for the right reasons, we need to know why we are doing those things. Have you thought about why you carry a gun?
The easy answer is "for protection." But that is… READ MORE… | | Not Just Packin' ... Packin' Neat
BY: BETH ALCAZAR | | I've mentioned before that I am an organization nut.
"A place for everything and everything in its place" would truly be a dream come true for me! With that, I am always looking for better, easier and more effective methods for storing or… READ MORE… | | Tidbits From "the Front"
BY: JOHN CAILE | | | I often (too often, in my view) hear comments from gun owners who seem to have fallen for the idea that the war for our rights is basically over and that "our side" has won. I'm sure many of you have… READ MORE… | | Birchwood Casey Super Bright Touch-Up Sight Pens
BY: SCOTT W. WAGNER | | | Back in 1980, when I entered law enforcement and began extensive handgun training, handgun sights were much like the Model "T" Ford: You could get any color you wanted ... as long as it was… READ MORE… | | Could You Shoot a Child?
BY: RICK SAPP | | | Only recently in history has killing children been frowned upon. In the Medieval era, the sack and ruin of cities was often accompanied by the wholesale murder of men, women and children — and even their animals. Old Testament Jehovah instructed Abraham to… READ MORE… | | A Foregone Conclusion: How to Safely Transport Four Guns
BY: MARK KAKKURI | | | Most range bags are fine for simply carrying a gun back and forth from home to the range, but at some point you'll likely need a true case — something that is able to be robustly locked and, within reason, unable to… READ MORE… | | | |
Posts
