Should Arming Teachers Be Allowed To Carry Weapon In Schools?

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As shootings have posed a problem in schools throughout the United States, solutions to try and keep students and staff better protected are being investigated. From imposing more gun control safety measures, to questioning if gun laws need to be changed. Recently, the state of Tennessee passed a bill allowing teachers to carry concealed guns. Teachers themselves have been left asking the question of whether arming teachers is the correct response to the problem of school shootings. This allowance may have negative effects in both psychological and physical ways. As a result of these possible effects, and the alternative solutions available, teachers should not be allowed to carry concealed weapons on school campuses. Many teachers are divided …show more content…
The argument can be made that arming teachers would be safer in the case of a school shooting taking place, giving teachers a way to protect students and themselves. Even if this were proved to be true, the effects of armed teachers on the school system and relations would be taxing. As listed by ACLU West Virginia in, ‘Four Reasons Why Arming Teachers Won’t Make Schools Safer,’ “Arming teachers harms students' trust in educators.” Not only will it affect this trust mentally, but it will likely impact already marginalized students (Four Reasons Why). So, rather than helping the safety of students, it may cause further problems. Safety inside school isn’t the only concern that could arise as a result. According to ‘Stop Arming Teachers,’ by EVERYTOWN For Gun Safety, having a gun in a classroom increases the chances a student will access it. Regardless if a student has bad intentions, the access itself can be problematic. There have been cases where a child has been playing with a gun, or showing it to their friends, and they end up accidentally shooting it or getting shot. Other students who have these guns have been shot by police due to the fear of the child using the …show more content…
As Kenneth S. Trump states in ‘Arming School Teachers and Staff’, “‘...arming teachers and school staff with guns would take on significant responsibility and potential liabilities that...are beyond the expertise, knowledge-base, experience, and professional capabilities of most school boards and administrators.’” Luckily for our school systems, there are alternative solutions to the prevention of school shootings. One alternative to arming our teachers would be to arm school security officials. “Arming persons at schools should be left to professional public safety officials: School Resource Officers (SROs) and School Police Department Officers,” (National School Safety). In many schools throughout the United States, there are already safety officials present on campuses, some who carry guns. But school shootings still take place. But arming teachers won’t change that either. Intimidation is not enough, as can be seen by the continuation of the shootings. A majority of teachers also don’t want to be armed with guns, but rather “textbooks and computers” (National School