Should Teachers Carry Guns In School Essay Example

📌Category: Education, Gun Control, School, Social Issues
📌Words: 1042
📌Pages: 4
📌Published: 23 May 2021

For decades, the topic of teachers holding firearms has circulated within school districts, should teachers carry guns? School shootings have been a worldwide issue, especially in the United States. From Virginia Tech, Columbine, Sandy Hook, and Parkland, countless innocent lives of students have been lost. It is because of these tragic events that some administrators are in favor of teachers holding firearms, in fear of bloodshed in a learning environment once again taking place. Some argue that it is a form of protection However, most teachers strongly oppose firearms in school settings. Educators are petrified by the idea of a gun in the hands of a student, exclaiming that this would be a cause of a mass shooting. Back and forth conversations and arguments continue to this day upon the harsh topic. How could this potentially impact school systems? Nevertheless, safety measures must take place within schools whether a firearm is in existence or not. Regardless of opposing stand points on firearms in schools, both reasonings can be properly justified. 

In some arguable cases, guns in schools would be beneficial for the safety and health of students and teachers. Firearms give teachers a chance to survive, most schools would face troubling situations if a shooter were encountered. This is simply because they are not able to defend themselves. Interviews conducted by Nicole Chavez on teachers illustrate how educators are tired of having general targets on their backs. The safety of their students comes first, and teachers believe schools are currently a shooting range. Studies show that hiring a full-time security guard is expensive, a whopping $50,000 each year. On the other hand, putting thirteen teachers through special training costs $68,000 (Chavez). This is not necessarily safer, but it is very efficient. Opposing views argue that this would cause students to feel uneasy, however many children describe how they feel secure and protected (Chavez). In schools, our protection measures and drills would not be super effective in preventing a shooter from causing casualties. Classrooms do not have the needed resources to fight for one another, especially when facing a gun. So, in certain scenarios classrooms could be left helpless without a firearm in the hands of a teacher. 

Teachers holding firearms is widely supported in more rural areas, especially by teachers and guardians. As a student, we realize how not every school is the same. Some schools will need to take more precautions than others, which leads into guns in rural school districts. Politicians like former president Donald Trump believes schools should be “hardened,” this is aimed towards school's multiple hours away from a hospital (Proulx). Mary Christian with Greenville University Papyrus argues that if a shooter walked into a rural building, ambulances could take hours to get to a school and back to a hospital leading to more fatalities (Christian). Even the thought of this sparks fear into the minds of parents and teachers. A weight would be lifted from guardians if teachers carried guns, providing much relief. It is not that parents and educators do not trust law enforcement; it is that sometimes police are not as reliable of a source in such situations. Teachers would rather go through special gun training than risk the lives of their students and peers. In short, those who are not opposed to firearms hold some valid reasoning, but there are better options. 

Across the United States, most show resentment upon teachers holding firearms in school. There are too many dangers, it is not a game of jeopardy. Legislators are already requiring teachers to go through special training, which is supposed to be a “solution” to school shootings (“Arming Teachers Introduces New Risks into Schools”). Moreover, Natalie Proulx with the New York Times interviews Melissa Cropper upon the situation, who is president of the Ohio Federation of Teachers. Melissa Cropper highlights how “Unfair burdens are placed upon teachers if they carry guns” (Proulx). In other words, teachers should not have to switch into a police officer in the event of a shooter, it is not their duty. Surveys show 82 percent of teachers would not go through special training if they were required to by administration (Brenan). Correspondingly, another poll shows that 73 percent of teachers oppose the idea, along with 63 percent of parents on their side (“Arming Teachers Introduces New Risks into Schools”). Even with special training, teachers would not be as experienced as police officers in high pressure situations. This is a huge reason as to why teachers do not support such implementations, and it is widely understood. Decidedly, there is not a need for gun presence in large public schools. Firearms would only distract students and teachers and present new future risks. 

Implementations other than teachers holding firearms are suggested to mitigate school shootings. School districts have already adapted and put these measures to use, and these safe precautionary applications are preferred by most teachers and parents. Forming threat assessment programs, implementing basic security upgrades, planning, and establishing equitable schools are all alternatives to teachers being trained and holding firearms (“Arming Teachers Introduces New Risks into Schools”). Experts say police and security guard presence should be “dramatically increased,” frightening anyone even with the idea of acting upon a shooting (Proulx). Proulx also addresses ideas like metal detectors and door buzzers, which would allow for a gun free zone as this would prohibit a weapon from even entering a school. Likewise, security cameras and barricades should be stressed preventing criminals that are not students from aimlessly walking into a school. These security regulations are a lot healthier than a gun in a school setting, as studies show suicides triple and homicides double (“Arming Teachers Introduces New Risks into Schools”). Firearms are also simply unsafe; someone could get ahold of a firearm at any second. Speaking for most students, this would create a dreadful learning environment. If guns are in the same building as students, it is likely that it would impact their learning ability. This is due to the creation of constant fearful images and scenarios running within the brains of students. Given the circumstances, teachers being trained and holding firearms alter school systems too drastically and the opposed side holds more logical reasoning on the concern. 

Arming teachers with guns does not accomplish much but sabotage school systems. There are many other safety measures that can be executed like door buzzers, upgrades, additional security guards, and metal detectors (Proulx). Withal, most teachers simply do not want to go through harrowing training. Firearms open doors for new hazards, and arming teachers is merely not worth it. While the unopposed viewpoints can be justified and are most definitely valid, there are always other ways of precaution. Taking everything into account, guns in schools only summon unnecessary fear and there is not much use for them at the end of the line.

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