School Shootings

If a student was injured by a gun that was in possession of their teacher, even if it was a complete accident, the entire school board would be liable and face lawsuits. Carrying guns would also cause a school’s insurance rate to rise. The idea of having teachers carry concealed weapons has been on the front burner for quite some time. As a result of this extreme idea, insurance companies may begin to increase or even cancel policies with schools that have armed teachers due to the high risk that they are putting themselves at. The schools would also have to pay for the guns themselves as well as proper training for the teachers carrying them. Public schools often face budget cuts already and these unnecessary cost would only take away more from new books, technology, and arts

On a normal day at a normal school there it was, several loud bangs. A student with a pistol came around the corner and into a classroom. The teacher tried to go for the gun in his desk, consequently, it was in a locked drawer. By the time he reached, it it was too late, the teacher and five students were killed before the assailant was taken down. Teachers should not have guns during school hours for the following reasons, it won’t get rid of school shootings, it's uncertain if teachers can be trained on how to use them, and it won't improve school safety.

But… if we can Identify the applicable Occupational Safety and Health Administration requirements such as hearing conservation and training obligations then arming teachers is an opportunity for applying new security measures to schools. But some issues and complications with arming teachers are as follows: How many staff will be required to carry a firearm? What will be the criteria for determining who will be identified firearm carriers, including qualifications, background checks and certification requirements? Who will be responsible for making the final decision as to who will be allowed to carry a weapon in school? Who will be responsible for supervising the staff who are carrying firearms? Update job descriptions to reflect the change in job duties for positions identified as those required to carry firearms. There also has to be alternative staff who will be responsible for supervising students if a supervising staff member has been called away to protect the school. And potential contract implications that should be assessed, if a teacher is able to carry a gun. Will there be additional pay to compensate for the hazard of being a responder?

According to TIME magazine, since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on December 14, 2012, there have been over 290 school shootings all around the United States. Teachers, with proper training and determination to save lives, should be able to carry a concealed handgun in schools. Teachers should be able to carry for many reasons, including protecting students until police can arrive, eliminating the amount of school shootings, and helping the students feel more safe in the school if this were to happen.

“It is something we have to prepare for. As much as we might like to think that will never happen here, it is the kind of attitude that gets people hurt.” Sgt, George Vinson made this statement after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting of 2012. Schools shootings can happen any time, anywhere so we have to be prepared for the worst, instead of acting like it can never happen in our school districts. Many states have already passed laws allowing teachers to carry guns, not in fear that a shooting will occur, but being prepared for the worst to occur (Murphy). Although school shootings do not happen often, teachers armed with guns can make students feel safer during school hours, prevent acts of violence that occur near or at school, and the teacher's right to bear arms to protect themselves and others.

The shots fired at Sandy Hook Elementary on December 14, 2012 sent a clear message to all of us that something needed to change. For a while nothing changed, and since that particular shooting, the overall amount of school shootings in the United States have nearly doubled. After another recent shooting, Americans have finally decided something needs to be done about it. Although, it is unclear if the right steps to protect our schools are being taken. Should teachers be given guns? It is proven to be a horrific idea. Not all teachers can be trusted with guns, the guns would be easily accessible to students, and many teachers and students have already stepped forward agreeing it would place an unfair burden on themselves.

There would also be the headache of determining if guns are maintained and bought by the teachers themselves or if the district will provide for them. In either direction, there is going to be a lot of money needed for these changes. Schools that have allowed teachers to bring in their own arms had to deal with the problem of receiving insurance coverage and adding costs to an already tight budget. Everytown, a nonprofit organization, states, “Proposals to arm teachers will likely result in additional costs for training teachers, firearms, ammunition, and other costs, putting an additional financial burden on school districts and, ultimately, on taxpayers.” Everytown addresses the possible reality of incorporating guns into our schools and it seems like it is going to be a pricey change if we follow through. Involving guns as a safety procedure will be costly and will most likely not impede the risk of another school shooting happening

Teachers would also need to complete a shooting course. This would allow teachers to protect their students, other than hiding in a corner. The gun should be locked away where none of the students knew where it was. Only the school’s student resource officer (SRO) would take it out for cleaning and expectations. The lock box should not be touched at anytime otherwise unless there were an emergency. All students should be taught about gun safety in the beginning of the school year and if needed, as a reminder throughout the year. Permission slips from the school should be signed so that the parents are aware of the weapon. By having a gun in the classroom, this would provide the school with an advantage towards the potentially dangerous person. This is because the attacker won’t be expecting anyone to have a gun

The first reason why teachers shouldn’t be armed is because of what guns can cause. There were 160 school-shootings from 2013 to now and according to passage 1, “These incidents resulted in 54 deaths and 124 non-fatal injuries.” This statistic just backs up the fact that guns are dangerous. It shows how much guns can ‘accomplish’ when used for destruction. In Sandy Hook elementary, there were many deaths and other injuries that still make it one of the deadliest shootings to date. In passage 2, the author states that, “...when 26 people were killed in Sandy Hook, Connecticut.” This proves what guns can do as well. From passage 3, the author states that,” Many handguns can fire when dropped or bumped.” This proves that guns could go off by accident. That means that a dropped weapon could kill anyone near the firearm. Overall, guns are one of the

Teachers with firearms are nothing more than an average citizen with a gun, no heavy training to prepare for the worse. The only people who should have firearms are security guards and police officers, those who are properly trained and can handle these volatile situations. The only thing that could come from teachers carrying guns is the increase chance of students or other staff being caught in the crossfire. Those who become teachers go into their job every day to do exactly that, teach. They have no desire to be babysitters or security guards.

Teachers should not be allowed to carry guns during school because students could discover it and use it on somebody at school. A student could harm another student for no reason it will not be safe for teachers to carry guns because students feel like that will not help reduce the problem of school shootings. There is no reason teachers should have guns when students could find it and use it in school. When a teacher has a gun in the classroom students, don't feel safe. Parents of students should talk to their child about gun safety to help stop gun violence during school.

“Somebody call 911 and lock down the school! There’s an intruder with a gun, and he’s holding a class at gunpoint!” yells the principal. According to School Guard, the average police response time is 18 minutes, and the average school shooting lasts twelve and a half (“Why SchoolGuard?”). By the time the police arrive, the criminal has vanished but left many students and staff fighting for their lives. Providing the safest environment possible should be a very important aspect to a school, so teachers should be able to defend themselves against a situation like this. Faculty and staff members armed with guns here would have probably been able to solve this problem almost instantly. Teachers with a concealed and carry license should be permitted to carry a gun for many reasons such as students feel more comfortable and safer when guns are around, and it saves time and lives.

The U.S. continues to have issues with students bringing weapons to school and using those weapons against their classmates and teachers. In my opinion, I believe that teachers should be allowed to carry a weapon to protect themselves, as well as their students, from students who bring gun violence to the schools. Some school districts have limited funding and are not able to employee a law enforcement officer; therefore, teachers having the right to carry a weapon, would allow the teachers the possibility to protect and defend their school. Teachers having the right to carry a weapon would allow them the opportunity to be able to asses the violent situation more swiftly, and could allow the circumstances to have a better outcome. If teachers

Conclusion By arming teachers there are a lot more positives than negatives, Yes bad things can happen with a deadly weapon in a classroom, but people will continue to do these horrific crimes knowing there is hardly anything that’s going to stop them. So by arming teachers this will give some fear in a potential shooter’s eye versus a shooter knowing they can march into any school they want to and kill students and teachers without anyone putting up a fight until first responders getting to the

I feel as if some teachers may have mental issues and is not fit enough to carry a lethal weapon that could take a life. Remember on the news when a teacher locked himself in a classroom with a loaded weapon and fired a round into the wall of the classroom, that could have ended tragically, and lives could have been lost. I found out that the teacher had a record for sexual assault that man shouldn't even be a teacher. Police have gone through a immense amount of training for them to possess a lethal weapon. Police are heavily trained to extinguish an active shooter situation in my opinion, having a police liaison on school campus during school hours is the best bet, he or she is trained to properly handle their weapon. Also if a teacher has their gun out and is pointing it could be mistaken for a shooter. And a teacher could