Since 1999, the US has averaged around 10 school shootings per year. But in 2018 alone, we have seen “18 instances of gun-related injuries and fatalities at American schools in fewer than 100 days” (Rogers 862). Given recent events in Parkland, Florida, gun violence has been a topic of debate all throughout America. Due to the increase in violence in schools, the United States government has proposed using federal funds to train and arm teachers. Some argue that schools should prepare teachers for school shootings; the answer to preventing more of these shootings is allowing teachers to bear firearms. In order to stop gun violence in school and produce a better learning environment for students, training and arming school teachers is not the answer to creating a safer campus and would ultimately do more harm than good.
There are many risks and dangers involved in training and arming teachers. For one, allowing the presence of firearms in classrooms and “anticipating violence can lead to increased anxiety, fear, and depression” (Rajan 861) among students. Knowing that there are guns within the school grounds would breed unease inside of the building. There is also the matter of storing guns. Having weaponry located in the building poses threat to the people inside of the school. If guns were to be stored inside of the school, access to firearms would be made easier for students and staff. It could also potentially encourage people to try and steal a weapon, whether they’re a student, a staff member, or someone outside of the school. We cannot discount the fact that teachers are people as well. If we were to train teachers how to properly use a gun and give teachers weapons, that they are legally allowed to have, it is probable that a teacher could use these guns against a fellow staff member or student. On top of that, research has been done to prove that having more gun access and protection does not correlate with being safer from these occurrences (Rajan 861). These weapons have to be provided for the teachers and schools would need the funds to be able to achieve this.
The National Rifle Association holds a lot of power over the republican party and heavily influences how the President, Donald Trump, deals with gun control. The NRA funds politicians specifically, Trump. The decisions the president makes on this topic is going to lean toward what the NRA wants and supports. Since this is the predicament, Trump has suggested that we arm teachers. “With this support, gun organizations [specifically the NRA] have been able to move forward with little political backlash on initiatives to arm teachers” (Pérez 142). The NRA would only benefit from arming teachers and increase the market for firearms. Much of the public has openly expressed their opinion on gun control and how they feel about arming teachers through rallies and protests. Through these protests it is clear that many Americans are fighting for stricter gun laws. Around 66% of Americans want these gun control laws in hopes of preventing more school shootings and mass murders. The recent shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida has spiked demand for gun control and has empowered and influenced the younger generation to become more involved in political issues. Even though the majority of US citizens do not support arming teachers, there are still reasons why people would want to give teachers firearms.
The people that want to give teachers firearms believe that in order to stop violence in schools, this is the best solution. When looking at this proposal from their point of view, it is clear that there are many benefits to arming teachers. Supposedly, if a teacher were to have access to a firearm at all times, it creates an environment where students can feel safe and protected. Instead of being helpless, in situations where there’s a threat to the school, teachers would be prepared and well-trained to handle the threat. Arming teachers could help create a better chance of survival and defense. In reality, it takes time for the police to arrive at the location they have been called to. Ultimately arming teachers would give students and staff more time to escape and have defenses on call. Even though this may be true, I do not believe that this is the best way to solve the issue of school violence.
There are always other alternatives to situations. In this case, arming teachers is a more extreme way of preventing school shootings. If we were to arm teachers, it would cause more displeasure and division within our country. Teachers are at school to teach kids, not to handle firearms. Many teachers also may not agree with allowing weapons on campus. It would cause unnecessary controversy within the workplace and bring politics into a place where politics should not be. Some other ways to keep schools more safe other than using weapons are locking the doors during the day. If doors were to be locked it would help to control who gets in the building. When I was in high school, all points of entry were locked. There was only one way to get in and still that door was controlled by the security. On many school grounds, there are police officers and security that are there to help if need be. Another possible option could be monitoring the visitors that want to get into the building. Surveillance cameras have been installed in some schools that have facial recognition. If we were to have armed teachers on campus, as a student myself, I would personally feel more uncomfortable at school rather than protected.
Since this situation involves and targets students, there are going to be opinions within school grounds on the matter of bringing guns into school. Most students throughout the United States have shown a strong opposition to the idea of arming teachers. We have all come together and rallied and protested against the NRA and the government for stricter gun laws. This just proves to show that the majority of students do not approve of bringing firearms into this fight for safer schools. When discussing political topics such as gun control, we, as a younger generation, are often overlooked and our opinions are cast aside. Similarly, students may not be the only ones having their opinions and protests be overlooked.
If anyone should have the right to say whether or not teachers should be armed, it should be teachers. Once again, I reiterate, teachers are at school to educate kids, not to handle firearms. Teachers want to teach their students and not have to worry about someone trying to grab their gun in the middle of class. “The last thing” that should be put into a classroom setting, is a gun (How School Shootings, 2018). “We also have no means of identifying teachers that would be willing to take on this significant responsibility” (Rajan, 861). It should be worrisome that some teachers would want to encourage handling weaponry around children. Forcing a gun into their hands without regards to the teachers’ own wishes, is unethical and wrong. Teachers may not even want to be armed and “requiring teachers to carry a gun may cause many to leave the profession” (How School Shootings, 2018). It seems that teachers would rather opt to use defensive mechanisms rather than the offensive or would rather leave. If teachers were to be armed, some say that it could cause damage to students’ mental well-being, especially for younger children.
On the subject of arming teachers, we can safely say there has been a lack of research done on the long-term effects it may cause. Additionally, it is argued in an article by Beger RR that in some zero-tolerance policy schools, that have stricter rules and security measures, the amount of safe that the students may feel, is also decreased (Rajan,861). The fact that it is shown that the amount of safety students feel, with higher levels of strictness, is decreased, makes me wonder how students would feel knowing that there are guns present in the classroom. I believe that if there were to be guns on hand, students would feel more anxious and would have a harder time focusing on schoolwork. The lack of research done on how arming teachers may affect a child’s developing brain is worrisome. So, if the government and NRA are trying to encourage americans to allow them arm teachers, without proper evidence that this method is useful, why should we want to? Especially when it could do more harm than good for the students. Every student has a parent or guardian or someone that cares for them. With this, I can say that many parents oppose to the idea of having guns around their child.
Parents are naturally protective over their own child. When dropping their child off at school, they are entrusting the teachers and staff to take care of their child for almost 7 hours a day. If teachers were allowed to handle guns and guns were to be present within a classroom, it would bring about feelings of fear that harm could come to their child. There is also concern about having a gun in the classroom; this concern is about how proper the training is for the teacher. Parents express this unease because if the teacher misfires or mishandles the weapon, it puts their children at risk for injury or even death. Even outside of the classroom, in their own home, there have been many incidents reported of children finding a firearm and accidents happening. In general, parents do not want their children surrounded by firearms in an environment where guns do not belong.
Arming teachers is a topic of great sensitivity and opinions on this proposition are strongly influenced by political views. We all want the same thing, to prevent and ultimately stop school shootings. The question is how do we do that? Many factors go into play when dealing with such a heavy matter. I think that arming teachers is an extreme way of dealing with school shootings and was a recommendation made by the NRA and the government for purely selfish reasons. There are risks in arming teachers and if there are other ways to solve this, without any dangers present, it is best that those solutions are implemented first. It is best that we put the safety of students first, without any firearms involved. This recent topic of debate has greatly divided America and has caused unnecessary dispute. There are always other options and more we could do before creating more controversy and trying to fight bullets with bullets.