Essay Sample on Should Teachers Carry Guns on Campus

Teachers carrying firearms is a debate on whether teachers should carry guns on campus to deter an attack on the school; this allows the teachers to protect themselves and the students. The idea of arming teachers first gained attention after the school shooting that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. It was brought back into the light in the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla 2012. Teachers carrying firearms is an effective way of keeping students safe by giving the class a fighting chance against an attack, along with a quicker resolution to a dangerous attack on a school.

Teachers carrying firearms is an effective way of keeping students safe by giving the class a fighting chance against an attack.  In Keith Miller’s autobiography, he states, “Even in a best-case scenario, it may be 2-4 minutes before the first officials arrive at the school to confront a shooter.” “A teacher could react much faster” (Miller, 2). A scenario where a teacher can stop the shooter faster than law enforcement can be vital in the safety of the students. 2-4 minutes is all that it takes for a school shooter to take lives, but when confronted by a school teacher, they can be stopped before anyone gets hurt in the school. Keith Miller also claims that “If a teacher has a classroom of 20 students who are trapped with an active shooter at their door, the presence of a firearm can help to save lives” (Miller, 2). This statement provides a real-life situation of how a teacher with a firearm can be beneficial in giving a classroom a fighting chance; with the ability to save lives. Having a teacher that knows how to use a weapon can be very helpful in chasing away an attacker. On the other hand, a teacher with no firearm will lead to the class being more vulnerable, defenseless, and scared while having less chance of surviving the attacker. 

 Teachers carrying firearms will provide a quicker resolution to a dangerous attack on a school. In an article posted on The Thread, they state, ”Between 2000 and 2013, the majority of active shooter incidents in schools ended before the police arrived -- 46% ended through intervention by unarmed staff and students” (The Thread, 7). Staff and Students resolving a large majority of attacks within the school system between 2000 and 2013 shows that they are dependable in quickly handling dangerous situations without law enforcement. The 46% of school shootings stopped before the police arrived represents the percentage of school attacks resolved by unarmed staff and students when the percentage could be much higher with a teacher with a firearm. An unarmed teacher with students would have a better chance of defending against an attacker if they used a firearm to solve the situation safely and more effectively. “Andrew Tickner, a senior at Archbishop Carroll, supports this idea and said, “Teachers should be armed because it takes time for the police to arrive and there is no guarantee that anyone will survive before they get here” (Amlin, 2). This is very important because it represents a student’s point of view in the dilemma of teachers carrying firearms. It also identifies the consequences of being defenseless while waiting for law enforcement to arrive. In the amount of time, it takes for officers to arrive. The attack could have already been going on for a couple of minutes, causing casualties. 

Although there are many benefits for teachers carrying firearms, there are many numerous bleak drawbacks as well. Teachers carrying firearms is not economically effective because of the money it would take to train the teachers to use guns. In an article in the Washington Post, they state, If we use the cheapest training and the cheapest Glock, it will take around $251 million to arm 718,000 teachers. Along with different security measures such as teachers taking mental health tests. Although some people believe that arming teachers will keep students more secure, it may be argued that it does the opposite. In a bibliography posted on Rand Corporation, it states,” The Associated Press reported, for instance, that there were more than 30 incidents between 2014 and 2018 that involved a firearm brought to a school by a law enforcement officer or that involved a teacher improperly discharging or losing control of a weapon (Penzenstadler, Foley, and Fenn, 2017)” (Rand, 2). A teacher improperly discharging or losing control of a weapon can be very dangerous in a learning environment around children. Say if a teacher accidentally fires their gun hitting a student, the child can then be permanently injured. In an article by Brianna Buffone, she claims “We have all heard news stories about children who have gotten their hands on their parents’ guns and accidentally shot themselves or someone else. Curiosity is in the nature of children.  By introducing weapons into the school setting, we are only inviting the opportunity for this type of tragic accident” (Buffone, 2). The possibility that a child can get their hands on a weapon and harm themselves or another student can lead to parents feeling uneasy and concerned for their children’s well-being.

An alternative to the argument of teachers carrying firearms is to implement anti-bullying programs. These would teach students about how to cope with challenging circumstances and help them diffuse their tempers. I encourage anybody who has encountered bullying to report the incident to help defuse a potentially dangerous situation that may result in the teacher needing to use a firearm. “If you see something, say something”-Landon Dehn.