Armed Guards In School Shootings

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Throughout history, schools have been considered a safe place. Since 1764, the number of school shootings has increased. For example, April 20, 1999 at Columbine High School in Denver, Colorado, two teenage boys started shooting fellow classmates from outside then entered the school armed and firing. They killed 13 people and injured more than 20 others. They originally planned to set off two bombs in the school cafeteria but when that failed they started their shooting spree. It took the police five minutes to respond. If there was an armed guard present then that time would have been cut in half. Nineteen years later, some schools decided that it would be best if they hired an armed guard. In one incident on March 22, an armed teenager entered …show more content…

As a result, having armed guards present in schools would be a good help. Armed guards help prevent injuries if someone were to come into the school armed. According to Desroches, ”"The presence of armed security personnel in a school adds a layer of security and diminishes the response time that is beneficial to the overall security," said Asa Hutchinson, a former Republican congressman who led the NRA task force that developed the report.” In another report, NRA calls for armed guards in US schools, it states, “"So what we attempt to do is create environments that send a message to the aggressor that this could be a difficult location to compromise," Ducibella said, adding that if they do try to get inside, they'll be delayed.” Based on this evidence, we must conclude that having armed guards present at schools would help prevent injuries if someone were to come into the school armed because if the attacker were to notice how difficult it is to get into the building, that might oppose a threat to the attacker and make them stay away. It gives the staff and students more time to get out and it also gives the armed guards more time to respond. Having armed guards present …show more content…

According to Desroches, “Schools in West Hartford built something called "mantraps," vestibules with locking doors on either side. They glazed their windows so they can't be smashed in. There are panic buttons linked to the police and 300 security cameras. And they made sure that classroom doors can be locked from the inside — they traditionally locked only from the outside.” All of this proves that having armed guards in schools would help the kids and adults be and feel safer because if schools were to build obstacles, then the attacker would have a harder time getting in. By having these obstacles, guards could get there quicker which means fewer injuries. According to Keen, “There are two full-time security guards who patrol the middle school and the high school; officials say putting armed guards in elementary schools might be considered. Jeff Illks and the other full-time guard meet the qualifications the board outlined: three years of law enforcement experience, valid firearm permits, ongoing training and other requirements. A part-time guard would have to meet the same criteria.” All of this proves that armed guards at schools would not only secure the school but it would also help the kids and adults feel safer because having at least one guard is better than none. The guards would need to be trained to handle certain situations. Also, having the same guard at the school daily, it would help build trust with the students.

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