The Issue Of Open Carry

Teachers should not be allowed to carry a concealed weapon in school even if it is registered and the teacher has had training with firearms. However, with a recent jump in school shootings many officials are debating implementing armed teachers. If educators carry firearms, schools will no longer be a safe trusted place to learn, firearms and their liabilities would be a great cost to the school, and it would be easy access for someone, namely the students, to steal the weapons.

Imagine the notion of being defenseless against an individual holding the purpose of wreaking mass devastation on the students and faculty inside of a school. In 2012, Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut endured a tragedy that carries historical significance to the notion of shielding those inside of a classroom in a worst-case situation. When twenty-six students had their life taken away during a school massacre, the thought of permitting teachers to carry handguns during class drew more consideration than ever. The safety of the students inside of a school facility may be in jeopardy as manifested in school shootings such as the ones which transpired at Sandy Hook Elementary School and Virginia Tech, where thirty-two students and teachers lost their lives (History.com). While many feel that presenting teachers with handguns may prove harmful to safety efforts, inflicting such standards would provide instructors and students equally with enhanced protection and overall security.

My second reason as to why teachers should be allowed to carry a concealed weapon is that it has worked for other countries. Israel and Thailand actually encourage their teachers to carry weapons. There was an article in 2004 in the National Review that is about how Israel and Thailand are set examples of arming teachers. The article stated that, “Though Thailand’s government is extremely hostile to gun ownership in general, it has recognized that teachers ought to be able to safeguard their students and themselves.” I agree with this. Teachers should be allowed to protect their students and themselves and if allowing the teachers to carry a concealed weapon will protect them then let them do it. The article also stated that, “Terrorist attacks on schools and school children could almost be completely eliminated in a very short time.” There are examples of attacks on schools that have failed. In

Arkansas state law section 5-73-119 (Criminal Offenses. 2016) stated the following concerning allowing the arming of teachers with firearms.

So yes, legally teachers have the right to be armed if their school board agrees with it and certifies. But why would they want to arm them? Yes, to protect our students but there is just so much that would cause issues. Law enforcement only has an 18% accuracy rating when the opposite opponent is firing back according to the RAND Corporation’s evaluation of the New York Police department. It shows that even a highly trained professional law enforcement officer has trouble shooting a suspect in highly stressful

Over the past several years the topic of gun control has been very relevant. With the increase in crime and the school shootings, everybody felt the need to have a concealed weapons permit. They wanted to be able to protect themselves and their children. No where is safe in this day in age everybody is fighting and angry. The one place you wouldn't think to worry about, the one place you trust your children to go to being "school" is now a dangerous place. Why would someone want to target a school with innocent children you may ask? Because these people are sick. This reason being why the teachers need to be allowed to have their concealed weapons permits and be able to carry a weapon on school grounds so that they can protect our children

Hollywood myth-making and NRA-pronouncements aside, having a teacher pull a gun is not a simple solution when split-second decisions are the difference between life and death. Nevertheless, Alabama joins a list of states that are considering legislation that would allow teachers to carry guns in schools. Other states include Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah ,and Virginia. Although Holtzclaw is a pro-gun rights conservative, state legislatures should consider critical questions he raised on his blog before voting to arm teachers.

Is it considered safe or a threat to let teachers carry weapons on campus? Teachers carrying weapons on campus has been a controversy for a while now, with one side of society believing it should be acceptable, and the other side believing it should not even be thought about. People believe that the unarmed man will is more prone to die than the armed man, as for the others they believe that there is too much potential for deadly violence. Since the well know shooting at Sandy Hook elementary took place in December of 2012, "72 incidents since Sandy Hook" (Vartabedian). This shooting brought people to question if teachers should be allowed to carry concealed weapons. Gun Control is the regulation restricting or limiting the sale and possession of handguns and riffle in an effort to reduce violent crime. Gun Control is a very controversial topic because both sides have great support. The second amendment states "forbidding carrying firearms in places such as schools" to protect those around (Scalia 1). Some people blame these vicious actions on "economy changes. People change" (Vartabedian). States are making changes to help protect their citizens. They are specific bills "only allow guns in public schools" (Frankel).

From the article, “A California Gun Law Runs Counter to Trend”, I support the bill passed that forces students to be unable to carry concealed firearms around campus. I also agree with Brian that teachers should not be required to have a concealed weapon. However, as Tyler said, teachers should be permitted to attain a firearm even if not required. If a teacher decides to have a firearm on campus, the school must make sure the teacher is certified and properly trained to use a firearm. A teacher having easy access to a concealed firearm is an extra precaution to keep students safe, if police staff is not able to reach the scene in time. I believe that there should be an increase of police staff on campus that is able to defend against any threats,

There's an active shooter on campus *bang* they're in the room *bang* I love you." that's the last time a parent hears their child's voice. If teachers were allowed to bear guns it could prevent shootings from happening and it would secure the safety of the students.

Teachers are at school to educate and should not have the burden of the role of protecting students from armed shooters. Carrying a gun is not part of a teacher`s job. Tennessee Education Commissioner Candice McQueen also holds this position saying that none of her teachers want to be armed (Pignolet). We must listen to our teachers and acknowledge that they do not want to carry a gun. Additionally we should not add an extra job to our teachers who already have enough on their plate.

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.

Open carry in Texas was enacted on June 13, 2015 allowing people who have permits to carry their handguns openly without having to show permits to law enforcement. When this was first passed I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about it because the thought of people just walking around with guns’ kind of scared me a little since in today’s world shootings in public places have risen quite a bit in the last 10 years. The first time I ever saw someone carrying a gun in public I was a little nervous yet felt after at the same time because you don’t know if this person is crazy or not.

With the increase in concealed carry permits, there has also been a large increase in firearm sales. From 2008 to 2011, there were about 14 million firearms sold in the United States, “while over 20 million were sold between 2012 and 2013, and about a quarter were sold to first-time buyers”(Howell). With the number of first time buyers on the rise it shows that the United States is leaning towards a more right look at firearms. “A 2000 Gallup Poll found that 35 percent of Americans thought that owning a gun made their home safer. By 2014 that number soared to 63 percent”(Howell). This goes hand and hand with the increase of firearm sales and concealed carry permits. The change when a person starts carrying a gun is they, “No longer are they a protectee. They’re suddenly and substantially less dependent”(French) and start to lean towards the protector role. The rise in

Should teachers carry guns? It is a topic that has recently come up since when the US president first brought it up at a conference after the Florida school shooting. He later also tweeted it, stating. “Trained teachers would also serve as a deterrent to the cowards that do this. Far more assets at much less cost than guards” This is not a good method for the following reasons.