With the recent, tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Heritage has been reassessing and reaffirming the safety and protection of all students. Administration has implemented a variety of precautionary measures, most notably the addition of police scattered across campus throughout the day. However, many schools across the country are unable to support police service all day, leaving a hole in the safety of many schools across the country. Recognizing the problem, President Trump proposed the idea of arming school teachers in the event of a shooting crisis in order to protect themselves as well as their students. Although this tactic might deter a potential school shooter, it would create more problems than it would solve.
Even though Trump claimed he would offer training and a salary bonus to the teachers who agreed to carry a gun at school, a majority of teachers have spoken out, revealing they do not want the responsibility. After the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, a similar proposition was proposed by state lawmakers. In response, a survey was conducted to determine whether teachers would be supportive of holding a firearm. Of 10,661 teachers from across the country, results showed that 72.4% of them would be opposed to the idea.
If teachers were to carry a concealed gun, students might not feel safe under their watch. There is no guarantee that the teacher won’t snap at any time or threaten students and other faculty. A teacher misusing a firearm has already been seen at Dalton High School in Georgia Feb. 28. The teacher, Jesse Davidson, fired shots in his classroom, causing students and teachers to evacuate the school. Although there were no students in the classroom, this type of event could happen in the presence of them if teachers become armed.
Even if a shooting by an outside figure were to occur, would these armed teachers be ready to act without hesitation? Would the teacher understand and be ready to handle the gun? Should teachers be expected to risk their lives when they signed up to be an educator? With the extremely limited training experience they would receive, it would not be wise to put the pressure on them to protect students’ lives with guns.
Studies have been conducted across the world proving that limiting gun access leads to a lower death toll overall. Therefore, allowing teachers to hold firearms would only add to the problem. With more questions than answers, the prospect of teachers holding weapons is not the solution to the problem of safety.
