The recent school shooting in Parkland, Florida resulted in a heated national dialogue about the root cause of school shootings in the US. Friends and classmates of the victims of the shooting became leaders of a movement to restrict indiscriminate purchasing and unregulated ownership of semi-automatic weapons. Even so, Republican leaders are sticking to their ideology of protecting the Second Amendment, and refuse to pass any legislation to control the sale of guns.
In response to the shooting, President Trump proposed a plan that would authorize some teachers to be armed and trained in preparation for a mass shooting. Some schools in Texas have already implemented this policy, and according to the teachers who chose to undergo this training, this policy has made them feel protected and safe. However, this policy is clearly ill-advised—teachers cannot be expected to properly respond during an incident without complete law-enforcement training. No matter how much money is devoted to gun training for teachers, it will not sufficiently prepare them to mediate with or to take down school shooters armed with semi-automatic weapons. Having guns in the classroom is an extremely unsafe proposition, and it should be the responsibility of law enforcement, not teachers, to carry guns.
In school mass shootings such as Parkland, there were teachers who died trying to save the lives of their students. Victoria Leigh Soto at Sandy Hook was one such example—she was killed trying to guard her students from a gunman. Brave teachers such as Ms. Soto are great examples of how sacred schools are, and how the protection of children is something that caring and brave people risk their lives for, whether or not they are armed. However, the plan that Trump has proposed has the potential instead to disintegrate the ties between teachers and students. Many teachers have spoken up about this, and their desire to help and not hurt kids who show inclinations for violent behavior.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) has played a prominent role in this debate. In a close alliance with the majority of right-wing politicians, they support arming citizens, including school employees, to protect themselves. The close ties between the manufacturers of these guns and the NRA are alarming, and Americans and politicians of both parties should consider the NRA’s demands in the context of their mutually profitable relationship with gun manufacturers.
Global research on the topic conclusively shows a proportional decrease in mass shootings in countries with stricter gun laws. The US has the worst data among developed nations as a result of its lax gun regulation and large population of gun owners.
The student activists of Parkland are pleading for increased gun regulation; they have argued that the last place in which a gun should be found is in a school, where another violent incident may occur again. Instead of equipping teachers with guns, federal, state, and local governments should instead address improving the funding of schools, which would help kids who need assistance with mental health problems and bullying. Most school shootings in recent years have been committed by students with some level of mental health issues, and the formative years of childhood are a critical time to heal and help those with mental health problems. Destigmatizing receiving help and improving resources available to social workers in schools is crucial to preventing gun violence in the future. Additionally, teachers must be trained further to respond to children who are suffering mental health problems with sensitivity and kindness, recognizing also the occasions where professional help may be needed. Similarly, methods need to be put in place to ensure that students who are aware of potential threats can easily and anonymously convey them to law enforcement officials.
The government must find a solution besides supplying teachers with guns. If teachers instead receive the necessary training to deal with kids who are in dire need of psychological counseling, young lives may instead be turned around. Activist teachers are using this in their defense, and have created a slogan, #ArmMe, which promotes the educational values that teachers carry as a powerful method of change. Teachers from all over the country are able to say that their job is to inspire their students, and arming them would rob them of this opportunity to be effective in their jobs.