If you are willing to stand in front of a bullet to protect your students, you should be ready to shoot. A special-needs teacher in Utah states “I want to protect my students. I’m going to stand in front of a bullet for any student that is in my protection, and so I want another option to defend us.” This statement is one of several made by teachers. Last year more than 30 bills were written in at least 33 states stating that teachers and/or school staff should be armed.
There many opinions on whether carrying firearms in schools is a wise method of guaranteeing the safety of our children. The implementation of guns in schools increases the staff’s responsibility and liability. Staff members must be properly trained in the use of a handgun. In being trained for teaching, nurturing, and modeling appropriate behavior in society, can an educator take on the responsibility of killing? If so, are school boards and teacher’s unions ready to defend an action taken by a staff member?
By carrying guns, the impression given is that the environment is unsafe. Schools need to be a safe haven for students. A poll of the National Education Association last year found that only 22 percent of members favored firearms training for teachers to carry guns and 61 percent opposed the proposal.
It appears that solving a gun issue with permitting more guns in our schools is ludicrous and could put everyone in more danger. A student could come in contact with the gun and easily hurt someone or do harm to him/herself out of curiosity. If the handgun is securely stored, it is not readily available for an unexpected emergency situation.
Police departments require officers to regularly go to the range for shooting practice. They are also expected to keep their guns clean to ensure proper firing use. School staff members will need to have the same requirements if they are to ‘carry’. The consequence of mistakes made by a staff member with a gun is too steep a price to be paid and the room for error is too great. The resulting trauma will be too much to swallow. Fighting fire with fire is not the answer. Guns and children are not a good mix.
Teachers have enough on their plate with keeping up on the latest trends in education. Every school year is crammed with the processes and content of learning material and taking tests. Educators take assignments home to correct, plans for the next day’s lessons, answer emails from parents, and record grades. It is not right to add gun training to the long list of needed professional development classes. Leave the security of the school up to professionals who are trained to serve and protect.
