The Importance Of Arming Teachers In Schools

Arming teachers is believed to make schools safer. Each year 142 school shootings take place, but only in the U.S.. On 5/3/17, 45 school shootings took place in the U.S. in the year 2017. That’s about one third, only in four months, which gives more time for shootings to happen. In these shootings, many people die, and many others wish they were stopped.

Many states in the U.S. have already armed their teachers so they can eliminate the threat of school shootings. Since August 2014, schools in Missouri have been taking teachers in the summer for training. They hold drills at the schools and give lessons at a shooting range. After the Sandy Hook shooting in Connecticut, Martin, who was in law enforcement for more than a decade, created

Shield Solutions as a separate branch of his security and investigations company. “Once they go through the training and they qualify, then they are essentially an employee of Shield Solutions,” Martin said. “I provide workman’s comp insurance and liability insurance for them.” (DelPilar and Murphy). This allows them to become familiar with the tool and comfortable with it.
Another benefit of teachers carrying guns is that school shootings are less likely to happen in the first place or escalate. Many people avoid places where people with guns could stop them from doing what they wanted. They also don’t want to get hurt themselves because usually they are doing it out of pain and can’t afford more . Also teachers can stop the attacker faster with a gun than without.(Lott). Also if someone did get in they could be eliminated before someone got hurt or died.
Not only do some parents feel their kids would be safer with teachers carrying guns, but some parents feel their children are being discriminated against. Alan Gottlieb, president of the Second Amendment Foundation says, “We have armed security protecting banks and other valuables, aren't our kids more valuable” (Lott, M.). Parents are speaking out that they want their kids to be safe and not just sitting ducks (Lott, M.). Schools cannot ignore the fact that these terrible things happen, and need to be prevented. They also need to comfort the parents and teachers that feel they are being discriminated against, by letting teachers exercise their second amendment.
An opposing reason that teachers should not be armed is that if the children see someone get shot they will be traumatized, but they are more likely to be harmed themselves then see someone get shot. According to the Crime Prevention Research Center the percentage of mass shootings that take place in unarmed areas from the 1950’s to 2016 is 98.4%. That is the risk every unarmed school is at to have a shooter come to their school, but the armed ones have only a 1.6% chance (Morse). And if a child gets traumatized from seeing an attacker get shot there is always counseling, and counseling is better than being injured or dead.
Many people agree with teachers having guns, but many people are still unsure. Help them that the benefits outweigh the cons. Help change your state's law by writing to your state’s congressman.