Mass School Shootings

Parents used to take solemn in the safety of schools when it comes to their children, but not anymore. As society progresses global communication has too and the news of school shootings have dramatically increased in the eyes of the public. Due to these school shootings that have been reported around the country, it has been debated if teachers, or school officials, should possess the ability to carry firearms on school grounds. Since 2013, there have been approximately 242 school shootings across the U.S. Schools and public areas, such as malls. Police officers and other law enforcers cannot always make it on time to deal with the problem. School officials in the U.S. should have the ability to legally have a firearm on school grounds for

Whereas the causes of school violence are mostly theoretical, the effects of mass school shootings are stark and terrible. In the past twenty years there have been many incidents, both small and large scale, of shooting in schools. Two of the most well known of these are the Columbine shooting in 1999 and the Sandy-Hook shooting in 2012. Twenty-six people were killed in the Sandy-Hook shooting and thirteen in the Columbine shooting (“School Safety Timeline.”). One boy described his experience at the Sandy-Hook shooting as, “I saw some of the bullets going past the hall that I was right next to, and then a teacher pulled me into her classroom” ("What Happened in Newtown”). It is hard to imagine the terror and life-long effects that such an incident would cause among children. These stories cause a fear in many students that makes it difficult to create an environment for learning. It is obvious that something must be done to protect children of all ages in public school.

There are two main opinions on equipping teachers with firearms. The problem is not with the polarization of these views, but the lack of willingness to compromise. Polarization of two ideas creates an inability to solve the problem. The National Rifle Association’s National School Shield is an uncompromising policy requiring a teacher to carry or possess a firearm (Pérez, 2017). The other side though is

Every day parents send their children off to school with the expectation that they will be returned home safely at the end of the day. However, with an ever increasing number of school shootings some parents are pulling their children out of school because they feel as if school can no longer offer the same sense of security as they once had. Some schools are pressing for the right for school instructors to carry a loaded weapon on campus. School instructors should be allowed to carry a loaded weapon on campus because it helps prevent school shootings, it protects them during school shootings, and gives students and staff an added sense of security.

Even with the presence of the recent shooting in Florida, the entire culture of school security has transformed since the 1999 Columbine school shooting. The Columbine massacre was the time when two teens opened fire on other students, killing 13people and injuring more than 20 others before shooting themselves and committing suicide. It was the worst high school shooting in the United States history and initiated a national discussion on gun control and school safety. Since then, the issue of gun violence and school shooting has dominated school safety concern. Also, the incidence initiated a revolution to the school security measures. Todays, schools are far more secure than

In an article by The New York Times called “Can high school students make a real impact on the problem of gun violence in the united states.” States that we are in a generation. A Mass Shooting Generation. This is not okay, when a gunman can just walk right into a school and kill 17 people with no problem. Then we need to act, not only do our teachers and staff need to protect the students, but they need to protect them selves as well. The government needs to pass a law that puts certain locked gun points throughout the school. Just like the AED Kit or fire extinguisher. In Paragraph two it says, “even from inside a locked school office as they hid from the gunman.” This quote does not only tell us how scared the teachers and staff were but also how

This is the first point, of why teachers shouldn't have firearms. This is because most school districts already have a well trained, armed police officer or security officer stationed in their schools. “Out of one hundred high schools in the United States, eight seven of them have

The topic of teachers carrying concealed weapons, has grown since tragic school shooting are occurring more frequently. Recent talks have been about using teachers as frontline defenders. School is suppose to be a safe place for students to learn safely. Teachers shouldn’t have to carry concealed weapons.

It seems like every day there is a new school shooting being reported on a news source. Unnecessary lives of American students are lost forever due to one, just one person, who decided it was rightful to take the lives of innocent children. There are many theories floating around about how these tragedies can be prevented, but the most common theory is arming teachers in public school systems. On paper, it looks like a good idea, but in practice, unfortunately, it is not the best solution for this unfortunate problem and here is why.

Schools are generally considered a safe place and have been for years. Not only safe from violence, but safe to express thoughts and opinions without fear of retaliation or ridicule. Allowing firearms into an environment such as this, will most assuredly make schools feel more like a war zone, not a safe zone. It will feel more like a prison, not a school. Students will become silent with their thoughts, ideas, and opinions and their opportunity for mindful growth will decrease. Teachers are supposed to be counselors and advisors – safe people. Allowing educators to carry guns makes them the appointed defenders of our schools. But what if the principal (or teacher) doesn't act quickly enough? What if the teacher does not believe in pulling a gun? Or couldn't find the key to the locked drawer containing the gun? Perhaps the teacher wasn't in the building when a threat presented itself? There now becomes a culpable non-defender, someone who does not do his or her duty and now another target for finger-pointing, excuse-making, lawsuits, or

What steps are being taken to keep students safe? The topic has risen, ‘should teachers be armed?’. Teachers should be armed in order to protect students from possible threats. School shooting has dramatically risen since 2000, though they dated back to 1764. Teachers would be trained and very prepared to handle any ‘code red’ emergency. Though there are opposing points there are solutions and positive outcomes for most.

The National Rifle Association (NRA) suggested that a possible solution to school shootings is to allow teachers to carry weapons on school grounds for protecting themselves and others (Castillo, 2012). The idea of schoolteachers being armed and ready has received substantial media attention due to the number of fatalities and ages of the young victims at Sandy Hook. It is very unlikely that there is anyone who condones students bringing any type of weapon onto school grounds. In fact, parents and faculty actively discourage such conduct, whether it’s a rubber band gun or a Swiss Army Knife. Accordingly, if we do not want students to bring guns to school, it only makes sense that we would not want teachers to carry guns either. Teachers have the significant responsibility of educating students. Education in the classroom should not cease with academic courses, but also include teaching by example and setting standards for students to

According to a list of school shootings on the CNN web-site, there were twenty school shootings that happened in the United States between January 2018 and April 2018. Twenty shootings, which killed and injured many people, on campuses are not a small number. Shockingly, a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida killed seventeen innocent people on February 14th, 2018, and it is a serious alert to students’ safety on campus. Many people believe that educators should be armed, so the students would feel safe while being in schools. Some people also urge the American government to enact a law, which allows educators to possess weapons in schools. On the other hand, there has been a lot of disagreements about ideas of armed educators because the teachers might not have a stable mentality to make a right decision and possibly end up shooting wrong targets in hostile situations. A critical discussion on the pros and cons of educators carrying guns will help people understand why shooting on campus should be addressed as well as become more aware of this concerning issue.

I grew up in Afghanistan, where guns and war were part of everyday life. It was devastating because I lost my family. Now I live in the United States, and school shootings are common. Although some people think teachers should carry guns, it is a bad idea because the teachers are not properly trained; teachers with guns can make some students fearful when the teacher’s responsibility for carrying the gun is unclear.

“I want to protect my students. I’m going to stand in front of any bullet for any student that is in my protection and so I want another option to defend us,” commented Kasey Hansen, a special needs teacher in Utah (Murphy page 1). “We are the first line of defense. Someone is going to call the cops and they are going to be informed, but how long is it going to take for them to get to school? And in that time how many students are going to be affected by the gunman roaming the halls?” Explained Kasey Hansen (Murphy page 3). A school should be a safe and comforting place for students. Teachers want to protect their students and keep them