Teachers indeed have hard and responsible work. They should not only compile curricula, but also hold lectures, check homework, and put marks. Good educators are the second patents, true friends, vocational guides, psychologists, and caretakers. A professional teacher devotes all one’s life to academic work. And sometimes, challenging situations even require one to protect children from violent attacks.
You have probably heard the news about mass shootings in public schools. Such cases attract society’s attention to safety issues, force state bodies to take radical decisions to prevent further tragedies. Some legislators believe that it is worth arming security personnel and teachers with guns, while others claim that this will make school staff and students even more vulnerable targets. Who is right? There is still no unequivocal answer. Experts from Pro-Papers have summarized the weightiest arguments of advocates and opponents to help you form a personal opinion.
Why should school staff be armed?
TV news and reports published on the web show that school is not a safe and secure environment as we would like it to be. Parents realize that their children may be exposed to danger at any moment, and there is not always an opportunity to prevent the loss of innocent lives. Since conflicts start and end very rapidly, police officers often fail to arrive at the place of tragedy when nobody is injured yet. Even if there are guards on campus, they need time to get into a classroom where an attack takes place.
Arming teachers seem quite reasonable because they work closely with children and see what is happening between learners. If there is some conflict, actions may be taken almost immediately, which is going to make an educational environment safer and prevent many deaths.
Some legislators claim that students also should have guns. But this approach seems to be way too risky. Teenagers may be emotionally compromised, lose their temper, and hurt surrounding people even if nothing threatens their lives. Therefore, carrying weapons should be an educators’ privilege, provided that they are duly trained and psychologically stable.
Should all teachers carry guns?
Of course, not everybody can handle a gun. Teachers should undergo proper mental, moral, and physical training. Also, some people oppose violence and do not want to be involved in it, discard the very idea of using a weapon. This position is often connected with religious motifs.
The Second Amendment should be an option rather than an obligation. A teacher should carry a gun only if one wants to take an active part in school defense. If there are not many such educators, an administration should consider hiring more security personnel who would stand on every floor and be ready to act.
Besides, teachers have many responsibilities apart from ensuring students’ security. If paying increased attention to safety issues, other educational aspects may weaken. It is difficult to improve teaching approaches and ensure all learners’ academic growth if a person constantly thinks about possible attacks. Caring and kind educators may turn into military focused on discipline rather than young people’s emotions and knowledge.
At the same time, some teachers face an opportunity to carry a gun and defend public order enthusiastically. So, it all depends on a person’s character and value orientations.
Downsides of the armed school staff
Like any approach, arming teachers may have negative consequences. Some experts claim that persons carrying weapons are more likely to be injured or killed. Hooligans often use guns to intimidate other people or steal from them. If a teacher shows a firearm, a teenager may get scared and start shooting. Agree, it is much better to lose a purse than die.
Kids may take possession of a teacher’s weapon due to curiosity, desire to raise self-esteem, and brag in front of classmates. For them, it is an interesting toy, a way to attract attention and provoke peers’ respect. Since children did not undergo military training and do not know how to use firearms, they may make a wrong move and shoot somebody unintentionally. Teachers are not always able to control the situation. The best way to prevent such problems is by not carrying weapons at all.
Also, it is worth remembering that far not all educators behave adequately. It may seem that a person is psychologically stable, but nobody knows what one will do in a critical situation. Legislators should look back at their professors and decide would they like these people to hold lectures with a firearm in a holster.
A teacher may pass advanced training, read manuals on self-defense, and show great results in a shooting gallery. But all this is just theory. When there is an emergency, a person’s hand may tremble, and an innocent kid may be injured.