Teachers Should Be Armed
Introduction:

1. Times have drastically changed as far as safety in schools is concerned. I’ve changed my career choice many times, but my first career choice was to become an elementary teacher.  Many of us have probably never thought past the idea of how good the benefits are as an educator.  After so many tragedies within our country’s schools the safety of not only the students but also the teachers have gone overlooked numerous times.  Many people would probably say its unethical to say the least for teachers to possess a firearm in the classroom, and I must disagree.  While this reasoning may not solve the issue of gun violence in school, I feel that as educators and also protectors, them being able to safely conceal and possess a firearm will not only reduce the violence but also increase the safety and protection for the students and also the teachers in our schools.

Body

1. The number of gun-related incidents on K-12 school grounds has drastically increased since the 1970s.
2. According to the federal government’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, the number of gun-related incidents on U.S. elementary, middle, and high school grounds reached a record of in 2018, which more than doubled the total since 2017(Collier, 2019).
3. The data they have collected reflects all incidents in which a gun was brandished or fired, or a bullet hit school property(Collier, 2019).
4. These incidents range from mass shootings and armed individuals that were able to be stopped before violence occurred(Collier, 2019).
5. As a teacher their concerns are to educate, protect, and provide for their students. There are many questions that rise from both sides as far as the safety and concerns for the students.
6. Teachers become parents so to speak over their students, so what is the difference between a teacher safely possessing a firearm on campus versus a parent possessing within a home?
7. In some states armed security is not available on campus, in the case that there is an active shooter on campus, and first responders cannot assess the scene immediately, if there were armed staff or security on campus wouldn’t this help save many students and staff during a crisis?
8. The well being of the students is what is a priority for all school systems. How could safely possessing a firearm away from the students harm them before it could save them?
9. The nation seems to be divided when it comes to the question of whether guns should be allowed in our schools. Many believe it would make for a safer environment for the students while others believe it would put them at greater risks. I personally believe that allowing faculty or security to be safely armed while on campus will not only make for a safer environment, but also create a sense of security and a peace of mind in case a crisis was to ever occur. The way that gun violence in our schools has drastically increased only supports my reasoning. Everyone knows that a school is a firearm free zone so there is nothing to make a perpetrator second guess a plan of violence. Allowing staff or security to be armed while on campus may not eliminate but could definitely minimize the growth rate of gun violence or put an end to the fear of mass shootings on campus, but also help to create a wall of protection around the students who they have vowed to teach and protect. So, I strongly feel allowing teachers to be armed just as a parent can be armed in a home is no different and would create a safer environment for not only the students, but the faculty as well.

Works Cited

Collier, L. (2019, May 17). School Safety. Retrieved from CQ Researcher: library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2019051700
Jost, K. (2007, May 25). Gun Violence. Retrieved from CQ Researcher: library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2007052500
Jost, K. (2008, October 31). Gun Rights Debate. Retrieved from CQ Researcher: library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2008103100
Lyons, C. L. (2017, January 27). Guns on Campus. Retrieved from CQ Researcher : library.cqpress.com.cqresearcher/cqresrre2017012700