What happened in Florida is a tragedy. Any school shooting is a tragedy. And every single time there is a huge debate afterward on every form of media. People do not let it go. They think they are right, and they don't let their argument go.
Well, I am here to talk about something that I feel strongly about. Teachers do not need to be armed.
As a future teacher, I am terrified that one day somebody might harm my students, and I don't even have any yet. I cannot imagine how a current teacher feels. As an educator, you not only sign up to teach your students, and help to make them more prepared for life, but you are there to protect them. You are there to protect them from whatever life throws at them.
As an educator, you cannot control everything, and when it comes to an active shooter situation, guns in the classroom are not the solution. There are so many different scenarios where a gun won't assist an active shooter situation.
Having guns within a school is a huge financial burden for the school. You not only need to buy the gun, the ammunition, but pay to have all of the teachers trained and have a concealed carry license. This will most likely be coming from the school's budget, and most of public schools are based on the money they get from their community, so the community would need to be behind this. Not only would the community need to be behind this, but so would all of the people within the school.
Educators go to college to be able to teach the next generation. They do not go to college to carry a gun. There would definitely be those who would not feel comfortable with a gun in their classroom, or even hallway. This could push away good teachers, or it can simply make them feel uncomfortable in the work place. I know as a future teacher, I hope to never have a gun within my classroom. Students could also look at a weapon like that being stored in the school in one or more places as intimidating, or tempting.
There would also be the issue as to how to store the guns within the school, and what to do in the situation of an active shooter. If it is locked up in a few classrooms, there is a possibility that it will not even stop the shooter from being stopped before law enforcement agents get there. There is the possibility for confusion when the police arrive at the scene and see multiple people with guns. With allowing guns into the school for the teachers, there would be a huge debate as to how everything should be done, and it would be just another argument.
While arming educators can make everyone feel more safe at school, there are so many bad things that can easily come out of it. I personally feel that there is not only a gun problem within our country, but a mental health problem. Why not start restricting some gun rights, increase federal money for assisting those with mental health, and find a different way to ensure students and faculty within a school feel safe again.
It is a tragedy every time that something like this happens. My thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to those effected by the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Hopefully steps will finally be taken so something like this never happens again.
