While we wait for the federal government to decide whether there will be a program at that level to allow teachers to be armed, some places are taking matters into their own hands. After all, this most likely will happen at the state level anyway, with Florida already considering a program — and they’re not alone.

In Texas, for example, they’re not waiting around. They’re getting teachers ready, just in case.

ENNIS (CBSDFW.COM) – Teachers in North Texas are readying themselves in the wake of the Parkland, Florida school shooting that killed 17.

Sixteen teachers and school staff members got a whole day of training Saturday on how to handle a weapon in the event of an active shooter situation. The free event was led by a former Irving police officer.

Teachers like Kim Raney got a lesson in protecting their students.

“Its scary sometimes. We do our best to have security at our schools, but you never know what’s going to happen. And it’s better to be prepared than not prepared,” said Raney.

Tim Bulot owns Strategic Weapons Academy of Texas. He’s a former Irving police officer with nearly 30 years in law enforcement.

“This is the first time I’ve done anything like this… normally it’s police officers, SWAT and overseas contractors who we train here,” said Bulot.

Unfortunately, we live in a world where teachers need training like this.

Of course, they’ve needed it since Columbine, but no one wanted to listen then.

Regardless, it seems likely that we’ll soon see plenty of outrage stories all about how this is horrible, that what we need to do is take away people’s Second Amendment rights. But, as Jazz Shaw notes at Hot Air:

I’m sure we’ll be able to find someone to complain about this in no time at all, but doesn’t this seem like a best last resort if there are no other options available? Particularly in rural areas, it may be quite a while before the authorities arrive. And as we saw in Parkland, you may not even have any immediate relief then. Simply teaching someone about proper safety precautions and giving them a few sessions on the practice range is definitely important, but these folks are going one step further. It’s no replacement for complete military or law enforcement training, but if the lessons stick with them it could mean the difference between life and death.

There’s also the deterrent factor to be considered. Rarely are these school shootings done by some stranger who travels in from far out of town. Usually, it’s someone from the community. And if the local news makes it very clear that any shooter arriving on the scene will be met with multiple armed teachers with training on bringing down an intruder, there’s a fair chance they’re going to look for another target.

He’s right. This is the kind of thing that will save lives without a firearm ever being drawn.

Many times, these killers want to create a massive death toll, like they’re keeping score in a video game or something. They want to kill and kill a lot. The fact that there will be teachers in these schools who are trained to respond with lethal force will act as a deterrent, since there’s now too great a risk the shooter will be killed before he can get a “high score.”

That’s the heart and soul of not just the idea of allowing teachers to carry a firearm but concealed carry in general. It’s that the bad guys have to factor in the possibility of being shot before they can accomplish their goal, be it killing dozens of people, stealing a wallet, or raping a woman. The point is to not allow them to do it and make others think it’s too risky to try.