Gun control is the most controversial and divisive subject facing the mainstream United States society. The multiplicity of views is demonstrated by differences in the stances taken by politicians and members of the public alike. Holistically, gun control is enforcement of legislation that seeks to limit and stringently guide possession and usage of firearms. Gun control debates are prevalent globally, and they are geared towards clearly outlining who is eligible to possess a firearm and under which circumstances can its usage be deemed legal (Hobbs and Brody). In light of the gruesome nature of shooting incidents that have occurred in American high schools, the discussion about whether teachers should be armed has intensified. Ultimately, children are incapable of defending themselves if a shooting incident emerges. As a result, teachers should be armed to enable them to lessen the number of casualties by countering the attack before the incident transitions to mass murder and preventing the onset of school shootings altogether.
According to Proulx, the United States’ most precious and valuable possession is the children population. Also, the world is experiencing a surge in individuals who are inclined to kill for no apparent or substantial reason. Therefore, allowing children to live in a vulnerable environment without protection, predisposes them to harm if someone tries to hurt them. Notably, it is vital that teachers are trained and armed to enable them to respond faster to a shooter situation and alleviate the risk before the situation spirals to severe proportions. The bottom line here is that arms trained teachers are the only ones that should be allowed to carry concealed firearms for self-defense when need be. Permitting trained teachers to carry firearms would make schools safer and lessen the propensity of firearm-related accidents. Furthermore, the number of fatalities resulting from a shooting incident would be immensely reduced. For instance, the death toll in the Florid School Shooting was 17. Nevertheless, the number of casualties would have been reduced if an armed teacher had intervened and intercepted the threat early.
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"Should Teachers Carry Guns in School, in the US?".
The horror and panic caused by school shooting incidents are far-reaching and could impact the academic performance of some students. Students tend to related shooting incidents occurring in other institutions to what it would be like if such a horrendous action happened in their school. Understandably, students begin to question their safety amid the prevalence of school shooting incidents (Hartocollis and Jacey). As a result, it is integral that mitigation approaches that are designated to safeguard the school premises are sought. Correspondingly, students tend to feel safer if they know that an adept teacher is armed exclusively to render protection. Arguably student would feel a lot safer knowing that the institution has executed a contingency plan if a shorter invades the school. The presumption that armed teachers make students feel safer is reinforced by empirical findings obtained from a study conducted in Callisburg Independent School District (Hartocollis and Jacey). The research unraveled that students can concentrate more on their studies if they know that their safety is guaranteed. Also, teachers in Callisburg Independent School District affirmed that they must do everything within their power to ensure the safety of students, rather than living the wellness of student at the mercy of an individual whose intent is to harm learners.
The supposition that teachers carrying concealed firearms discourage perpetrator of school shooting incidents from orchestrating an attack has been empirically supported by studies conducted on The Mountain View School District. According to Mike Dominguez, a Mountain View School District Board Member, the school fraternity is tired of being a target for ill-intentioned people (Chavez). Therefore, formulating policies that grant teachers the liberty to decide whether they would carry a concealed firearm or not shows that the institution is ready to explore available alternative towards warranting the safety of students. However, it is noteworthy to point out that the school subjects teachers through a rigorous vetting process in an attempt to deduce the suitability of a teacher to carry a concealed weapon (Chavez). Therefore, the strict regulation ensures that students are protected by teachers that have been ascertained to be adept and legible to possess a firearm, thus, minimizing the likelihood of occurrence of firearm-related accidents in schools.
The opponents of the idea of allowing teachers to carry concealed firearms in school assert that gun-related accidents are fatal. Therefore, allowing adults to possess guns in schools could proliferate into fatal mishaps that might claim many lives. According to Chavez’s article “These schools say arming teachers ‘can be done right,’” a teacher discharged her gun when entering the faculty restroom in Utah School. Unfortunately, the gun fell; upon picking it, she pulled the trigger accidentally striking the toilet. The teacher was charged with a crime of discharging a firearm in restricted premises. Nonetheless, no fatality was reported from the incident. All in all, firearm-related accidents in schools are infrequent, and no fatality has been reported. As a result, training teachers on how to use firearms would be a viable strategy to the rising insecurity problem.
In conclusion, arming teachers is a viable strategy to intercepting a school shooting incident before its scales out of proportion. Also, arming teachers gives an institution a fighting chance against ill-intentioned individuals. Furthermore, students feel a lot safer when they know that a trained teacher carries a concealed firearm for the exclusive purpose of rendering protection. Notably, carrying a firearm also helps in preventing school shootings because perpetrators realize that schools are no longer an easy target. However, the opponents of the idea of arming teachers posit that accidents could be fatal. On the upside, gun-related accidents are extremely rare since teachers that have undergone a rigorous training and vetting process are the only ones that are permitted to possess concealed firearms. Holistically, this research reveals that arming teachers could save students’ lives. As a result, it is imperative that the idea is adopted and implemented in a bid to make schools safer.
- Chavez, Nicole. “These Schools Say Arming Teachers ‘Can be Done Right.’” CNN, 28 Feb. 2018, https://edition.cnn.com/. Accessed 25 Mar. 2018.
- Hartocollis, Anemona, and Fortin, Jacey. “Should Teachers Carry Guns? Are Metal Detectors Helpful? What Experts Say.” The New York Times, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/. Accessed 25 Mar. 2018.
- Herman, Steve, and Bredemeier, Ken. “Trump: Only most ‘Adept’ Teachers should Carry Guns in Schools.” VOA, 22 Feb. 2018, https://www.voanews.com. Accessed 25 Mar. 2018.
- Hobbs, Tawnell D. and Brody, Leslie. “Some Teachers Already Have Guns.” The Wall Street Journal, 2018, https://www.wsj.com/articles/some-teachers-already-have-guns-151934781 Accessed 25 Mar. 2018.
- Proulx, Natalie. “Should Teachers Be Armed With Guns?” The New York Times, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/. Accessed 25 Mar. 2018.
