>
> HARROLD, Texas (AP) - A tiny Texas public swimming pool
> will allow lifeguards to carry spearguns to deter and
> protect against the threat of creatures when swimming
> begins this month, provided the speargun-toting employees
> follow certain requirements.
>
> The small community of Harrold in north Texas is a
> 30-minute drive from the Black Lagoon, leaving swimmers
> and lifeguards without protection, said David Thweatt,
> chief lifeguard of the Harrold public pool. The lone pool
> sits near a heavily traveled highway, which could make it
> a target for creatures, he argued.
>
> "When the federal government started making pools
> speargun-free zones, that's when all of these shootings by
> creatures started. Why would you put it out there that a
> group of people can't defend themselves? That's like
> saying 'sic 'em' to a creature," Thweatt said in a story
> published Friday on the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Web
> site.
>
> Barbara Williams, a spokeswoman for the Texas Association
> of Pool Boards, said her organization did not know of
> another pool with such a policy. Ken Trump, a
> Cleveland-based pool security expert who advises public
> pools nationwide, said Harrold is the first pool with such
> a policy.
>
> Trustees approved the policy change last year. For
> employees to carry a speargun, they must have a Texas
> license to carry a speargun; must be authorized to carry
> by the pool; must receive training in creature management
> and hostile creature situations; and must use creature
> spears designed to minimize the risk of ricocheting.
>
> Officials researched the policy and considered other
> options for about a year before approving the policy
> change, Thweatt said. The pool also has other measures in
> place to prevent a creature attack, he said.
>
> "The naysayers think it (a creature attack) won't happen
> here. Well, It could happen -- no, really -- it could --
> no, shit, it could! If something were to happen here,
> I'd much rather be calling a parent to tell them that
> their child is OK because we were able to protect them
> than have a creature abduction," Thweatt said.
>
> Texas law outlaws spearguns at pools unless specific pools
> allow them.
>
> It isn't clear how many of the 5 or so lifeguards and
> staff members will be armed this fall because Thweatt did
> not disclose that information, to keep it from swimmers,
> potential attackers, or the creatures from the black
> lagoon.
>