Why Guns Should Be Allowed In Schools

A graduate student leaving an evening class walks along the poorly lit sidewalk to the parking lot—it is a long, cold walk in the pitch-black night, and the student grows wary as shadows begin lurking in the distance. Suddenly, someone jumps out in front of the student, immediately threatening her with force. Before the student can react, she is raped and robbed. This is a very scary scenario, and one that happens on the SCSU campus every year. It seems like every week we get an e-mail citing another attack on students somewhere on or near campus. However, all of these attacks could be prevented if we allow students to carry guns as a means of self-defense.

Imagine a world where school shootings did not exist. Parents could send their children to school without having to worry about them being shot. In 2013, thirty school shootings took place in the United States. The most devastating school shooting in U.S. history was the Bath School shooting. On May 18, 1927, Andrew Kehoe entered the Bath Elementary School killing thirty-eight people and injuring fifty-eight. Kehoe then returned to his truck, and committed suicide by using explosives. School teachers would have a better chance, in high risk situations if they carried guns.

Throughout its history, the United States has had a fascination with guns. Americans have used guns in times of war, for protection, and for hunting. Americans also use guns when they are intent on killing people. When violence happens in school shootings, drive-by shootings, assassination of public officials, or in the workplace and shopping malls, Americans demand something be done. This demand fuels the debate between gun rights and gun control activists. It fuels the debate over the interpretation of the Second Amendment. It fuels the debate on allowing citizens to carry concealed weapons in gun-free zones. This makes us ask the question: Should guns be banned from college

We all hear about mass shooting where a number of people are killed and we pray that we are never caught in a situation like the one at Virginia Tech or Oikos University. But the likelihood that it happens at your school, your kids school, or your friends school is at an all time high. From 2000 to 2010 nearly 70 people were killed in college campus shootings in the United States. This number more than doubles the number of killing from the 25 years prior to 2000. Not only are their more shooting but there are a proliferating number of sexual assaults happening on college campuses, in 2009 alone the number of sexual assault on college campuses was nearly 2,600 (Arrigo 120). This combined with mass media coverage has generated passionate debates on how to best stop mass shootings and other violent crimes on college campuses. Many pro-gun activists have started to push for and endorse bills allowing students and faculty to conceal carry handguns on campuses. Campus-carry is a relatively new phenomenon and there is little to no evidence to corroborate the idea that it increases campus security. Those who have not gone through rigorous instructional courses, like police officers, will be unable to stop a mass shooting, sexual assaults, or other violent crimes on college campuses. Instead, allowing students to carry will increase crime rates on campuses and will result in more fatalities due to guns(Ultius). This is why students should not be

On April 20th, 1999, two students brought guns to Columbine High School in Colorado. They injured 20 people and killed 13, one being a teacher (Columbine High School Shootings). After this tragedy occurred, many people began to believe schools are unsafe, which lead to the idea that firearms should be allowed in school for teachers and students to use in case of an emergency. However, many oppose and believe allowing guns would lead to more chaos and tragedy that is unnecessary and can easily be prevented. Concealed carry of guns by students and teachers should not be allowed because students and teachers cannot be trusted, there are other ways to ensure safety, and students and teachers could feel unsafe in schools.

In this past year alone there have been 23 shootings on college campuses, not including incidents that have occurred at other grade level schools. Innocent students and teachers have been injured or killed in each of these shootings. School shootings are not restricted to one geographic area; they are spread across the United States, from Arizona to Florida to every thing in between. There is no way to tell when or where events like this will occur, so many wonder how to prevent traumatic events like this. In the United States all 50 states have passed laws to allow concealed carry, but only under certain restrictions and mandates.

“Are gun free zones worth having in American schools?” Through the recent struggles in policy related to mass school shootings in gun free zones, I believe that we should evaluate current policies and if need be, propose new policies, to limit or eliminate mass shootings in schools, which can and should be prevented. A common misconception when talking about ‘gun free zones’ is that Gun free zones can easily be misunderstood as meaning zero guns, but rather (usually) means that an unauthorized person cannot carry in that area (which may vary from state to state). But the issue isn’t with the misconception, but more so with the lack of safety that schools have or so we think.

Schools far away from police and fire need to have concealed weapons to protect students. A vice principal went to his car and got a weapon and was able to stop a school shooting before authorities arrived. Which shows that if concealed carry was allowed he could of possibly stopped the shooter before they started.

“The first thing Violand saw was a gun, then the gunman, ‘I quickly dove under a desk, ’he recalled, ‘that was the desk I chose to die under.’ “(Maraniss). While the U.S. constitution says Americans have the right to bear arms, firearms continue to threaten our schools, work and religious areas. Regardless of the danger that guns possess some states have passed a bill to allow campus carry, which grants professors and college students the choice to carry a firearm on college or university campuses. Although, we have seen the amount of influence that firearms have caused in the past a good amount of public still supports the claim that guns are a reasonable source of protection. However, while many in favor of campus carry view it as a safety precaution, campus carry should not be allowed because there is no evidence that proves campus carry will keep students safer and carrying a concealed weapon can distract from the learning environment.

While some people argue that allowing firearms on campus would cause more shootings and gun-related deaths, or make more students uncomfortable in their own classrooms, there are many facts and arguments to combat this. People with negative intentions will not be stopped by the law, and by removing gun-rights, the rights of people with good intentions would also be removed. There are examples of how concealed carry being allowed could’ve saved lives amid mass shootings, such as the Virginia Tech Massacre of

Gun violence is one of the most contentious issues in the American society today. It is an emotional issue that elicits a mixture of feelings from both sides that are in support of or against the bearing of arms by the citizens. The debate even becomes more acrimonious when it comes to schools and universities’ gun policy, as a result of the recent wave of violence that has been witnessed in many American learning centers. In the summer of 2013, the state of Illinois was the last state to adopt a policy that allows citizens the right to carry their concealed weapons in public – with some exceptions - (McEvoy, 2013). It is a legislation that has sprouted a mixture of reactions within citizens of the state, as well as education stakeholders,

20 children and 6 adults dead after school shooting. 2 Dead, 13 Hurt in California School Shooting.(ABC News Writer,2001) Teachers should have the option to conceal and carry because it would make our schools a safer place for the kids and school staff. This is because a shooter will more than likely stand down against two or more people with a gun, or the shooter will make an attempt to run or shoot and will be shot and apprehended. There has been big pushes to make this possible there is support from state governments, legislation, and even other countries governments. There has been support from communities, teachers, and schools that have allowed teachers to carry. Teachers should have the option to conceal and carry because it would

The $64,000 question that millions of Americans are asking; “Should Teachers be allowed to carry guns at school” is an extremely controversial hot topic which has sparked many debates and raised many eyebrows. From the American people to Government officials, it is safe to say that it seems almost everyone has an opinion on the issue, this topic certainly does not go under the radar. Some say that allowing guns in the hands of teachers is the best way to ensure the safety of our children and students while others argue that it will only worsen the problem of gun violence. Although there are understandable reasons as to why some are against guns being present in schools, I stand firm in the belief that it is in the best interest of our students

All around the world we hear about school shootings. Parents worry for the safety of their children every time they send them off to school. There have been many solutions to help decrease gun violence and one solution that they have come up with is to have teachers take guns to school. According to the National Conference of State Legislature, more than 30 states in 2013 considered proposals to provide training and firearms to school staff. South Dakota became the first to actually pass a bill allowing educators to carry concealed weapons ( ncsl.org paragraph 2).

Recently we have been hearing all kinds of horror stories of school shootings. People going off the deep end, deciding to massacre students and teachers at schools across the nation for no reason. There was the Sandy Hook shooting a few years back, when some man decided to go to an elementary school and kill anyone, kids and teachers alike. There was the shooting on a college campus recently, where no one was hurt because of the textbooks in their bags. Shootings like these seem to be more common recently, and with the debate over gun control laws who knows how this will end. Some people argue that teachers need carry a gun to school in case of a shooting, but is that the best thing to do? Not really. You are bringing a weapon in to a setting where students are supposed to feel safe and secure, not threatened by the chance of being shot. Teachers and students should not be allowed to carry handguns on college campuses because there should be no need for one, it is a danger to everyone, and there are other ways to deal with emergency situations.