Teachers Take Control

Submitted By maypie97
Words: 1003
Pages: 5
Open Document
Megan Cutshall
Mrs. Hensley
AP English
16 April 2014
Teachers Take Control

Violence such as the high profile school shootings in Colorado, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania can cause concern within school communities, even if they are not directly affected by the events. Adults and students struggle to understand why these events happen and, more importantly, how they can be prevented. School principals and superintendents can provide leadership in reassuring students, staff, and parents that schools are generally very safe places for children and reiterating what safety measures and student supports are already in place in their school. With that being said, would it not be a safe idea to allow teachers to have a concealed gun with them at all times? Although recent polls by The New York Times show that 72% of parents favor teachers having a gun in the classroom, the remaining 28% have an opposing viewpoint (John Eligon). Some may say that there’s little to stop children from becoming extremely vulnerable if they are under the supervision of someone who could turn on them. Gun attacks like Columbine and Virginia Tech are often by people whose potential for violence was not spotted by anyone until it was too late, according to Huff Post Politics (Sara Gates). People in positions of authority are not always reliable or rational, and no amount of safety checks can guarantee that some teachers will not abuse the powers they have. This measure would simply increase the potential threat from those who have been authorized to carry guns in schools. Taking this to its natural conclusion, what is to stop teachers’ guns from simply falling into the wrong hands? A child could steal a teacher’s gun and use it against a classmate, causing unintentional or intentional fatalities. Arming teachers simply makes such events possible rather than protecting against them. Allowing teachers to carry arms in school could mean that very young children could easily become acclimatized to the idea that carrying a gun and ultimately gun usage is ok. Surely the way to prevent incidents from happening is to teach children about the potentially destructive and fatal consequences of gun usage? For elementary/primary school-age children, it would be difficult to separate the idea that it’s ok for teachers to always carry guns but not for anyone else. If teachers were granted the right of ‘shoot to kill,’ as the mechanism would imply, of anyone they found threatening, the consequences to completely innocent people in a crossfire could be tragic and fatal. Ultimately, teachers are not police officers and are thus not equipped to take out an armed criminal in the same way. The logic of trying to make schools less vulnerable to violent attacks by introducing more firearms is hugely flawed. People who are against the idea of allowing teachers to have guns in school do have a point. They may think that the students and staff are in a more risky position than to not have guns because anything can happen, says Grace Chen, editor of Public School Review (Grace Chen). A gun could potentially fall into the wrong hands. But which side of this issue would prove to be more beneficial? Teachers definitely do need to have a concealed gun with them. If school teachers, as people in positions of authority over vulnerable groups, were permitted to carry arms then it would guarantee greater protection for children. Incidents in recent years such as the massacre at Columbine High School have proven that a significant risk exists of school children gaining access to guns and using them against their classmates. The carnage could have been prevented if the teachers present had been able to defend themselves and the children in their care as teachers would be able to act as a first line of defense. Another incident includes a school in Lincoln, Nebraska where a 17-year-old shot
Show More

Related Documents: Teachers Take Control

Gun Control

February 21, 2013 Dr. Long Eng 111 Gun Control America is known as the land of freedom. However, in present times some citizens feel that the new firearm legislation proposed by the President and his subordinates is stripping that very freedom from them. On the other hand there are many citizens that feel the new legislation will give citizens comfort and peace of mind. In January 2013, President Barack Obama announced that there should be new gun laws in regards mainly to the horrific…

Words 630 - Pages 3

Gun Control

Katie Zurita Solis CRWT 101 Professor Baxter Research Paper 18 December 2014 Gun Control The United States of America has laws in place for ownership and control of weapons such as guns. The Constitutions under The Second Amendment gives U.S citizens the right to own and bear arms. Unfortunately, throughout the past decade the United States has seen events in where its citizens have abused their right to bear arms. Ownerships of weapons in America resulted in massive shootings in schools and malls…

Words 1308 - Pages 6

Gun Control

Gun Control Gun control is a pretty controversial issue. There are groups on both sides arguing why we should or should not have rules when it comes to gun regulation. When asked about it, most people who own a gun have it to protect themselves (67%), the next most popular reason is for target shooting (66%), and the last is for hunting (41%). Gun control is a controversial issue because there have been Increased…

Words 820 - Pages 4

Gun Control

Richard Truong Kolstad English 1B May 11, 2013 Gun Control Out of all modern states, the U.S. has the longest democratic tradition. Most democratic norms, freedoms and rules of functioning of political institutions have been enshrined by the U.S. Constitution, adopted in 1787. However, this continuity has not only positive consequences: the creators of the Constitution could not have foreseen how the situation in the domestic and foreign policy would change within centuries, that is why many provisions…

Words 2671 - Pages 11

Gun Control Is Bad

our guns!? The simple answer? They’re not. Yes, the government is trying to increase the amount of laws and regulations regarding guns, however the issue is not as bad as some people make it sound. When the matter of gun control is carefully analyzed, looking at the constitution and what it says, the laws that already exist, and the actual firearms themselves, the reasons for our government's actions, as well as the effects of those actions can be seen in full. The main issue of gun control today…

Words 2072 - Pages 9

Gun Control Essay

Mr. Chadwick Government Honors28 March 2014 Gun Control Many people have issues with the federal government deciding if there should be gun control. Some want to completely ban all civilian ownership of firearms and some want to make it harder for people to get guns. Whether they believe guns are good for America or dangerous for America that is still being argued. There are many out there that are against having gun control because they feel their Second Amendment rights are being violated. These…

Words 1181 - Pages 5

Essay on Gun Control

The Pros of Gun Control Over the past decade gun control in America has become quite the topic in most households. “In 2011, over 400,000 people were victims of crimes that involved firearms in the United States”(National Institute of Justice).You would think that most people would support regulations or state mandates that would bring more order to gun control, but our society shows mixed reviews on how to approach the issue. Our country has bred a culture of people who believe that guns are essential…

Words 779 - Pages 4

Gun Control Speech

Today i will talk about gun control benefit in physical way. we sure do love our guns and love to go hunting in the weekend, but we only need to have normal lode rifles to do that and the same thing in self-defense. we do not need an auto machine gun or even semi-auto. there are so many massacres in united state and we need to stop that and the way to stop that is by the gun control. there are a researches that approved united state is the number one in the world in guns per person. and to have a…

Words 446 - Pages 2

Essay on Gun Control

Gun Control - Page One Crime and guns. The two seem to be cohesive with each other, but are they really associated with one another? Do guns lead to crimes? Do laws placing restrictions on firearm ownership really protect citizens or do they promote opportunities for criminals to take advantage of? Gun violence is a regularly debated political issue in the United States, considering that 30,000 people die from a gunshot each year. Gun-related violence is most common in poor urban areas and…

Words 890 - Pages 4

Gun Control Essay

Gun Control in The Unites States Eddie Tello 8 A.M MWF Gun control is any practice or intention designed to restrict or limit the possession, production, importation, shipment, sale, and/or use of guns or other firearms by private or commonly citizens. Most commonly the guns in question are personal firearms, typically handguns and long guns. Gun control laws and policy vary greatly around the world; some countries such as the United Kingdom have very strict limits on gun possession while…

Words 1209 - Pages 5