American school arms students with rocks to stop gun violence

Gun violence is at the forefront of the American political agenda at the moment with gun lobbyists arguing that teachers should be armed and trained with guns. 

One school in Pennsylvania is making headlines for their creative last line of defence.  

Blue Mountain School District Superintendent David Helsel has installed buckets of stones in every classroom at his school so students can stone intruders and school shooters.

“At one time I just had the idea of river stone, they’re the right size for hands, you can throw them very hard and they will create or cause pain, which can distract,” Helsel told reporters outside the House Education Committee in Harrisburg.

“Every classroom has been equipped with a five-gallon bucket of river stone,” Helsel said among a committee of fellow lawmakers. “If an armed intruder attempts to gain entrance into any of our classrooms, they will face a classroom full students armed with rocks and they will be stoned.”

Helsel also added that the students at his school had gone through extensive training of how to use the stones and how to barricade the doors in the event of a school shooting.

On top of these measures, the district also has new security locks on classroom doors, armed security, surveillance cameras and a safety program called ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate).

While Helsel told Fox News that his idea had received a lot of support from the community, many on Twitter were not convinced, some even calling the idea “complete insanity”.

One user said: “This David Helsel guy has rocks in his head.”

this David Helsel guy has rocks in his head https://t.co/sB8pB0Gt0P

— Paul Shingara (@paulshingara) March 23, 2018

Another said: “Where will they get the rocks from the Blue Mountain School District Superintendent David Helsel’s head? This is complete insanity.”

https://twitter.com/TREEBEE2016/status/977287777082662912

One user was even harsher saying: ” Did this idiot, Dr. David Helsel fall on his damn head? How did you get a Ph.D. David? How did you get your job with such stupidity in ur head?”

Did this idiot, Dr. David Helsel fall in his damn head? How did you get a PhD David? How did you get your job with such stupidity in ur head? https://t.co/d2sTTBPnkV

— Tina Aqui (@Revdrhadmyfil) March 23, 2018

Helsel isn’t the only US lawmaker that has come under fire lately for his outlandish ideas. Colorado House Minority Leader Patrick Neville, who describes himself as a “principled conservative” came out saying that allowing all students to bring weapons into classrooms is the solution to stop mass shootings. 

While Helsel’s idea seems a little more innocent, many think they are a stone-age solution to a modern issue.

Do you think this guy has a point or is his idea sheer lunacy?