Since the Parkland shooting there has been a topic that has been on people’s minds. That topic is gun control. There are many different arguments happening about the prevention of school shootings.

One argument that people have really been pushing for the prevention or lessening of the tragedy of school shootings, would be to arm teachers. People who support this argue that the teachers would go through training. It is proposed that the teachers would keep their guns locked up in a hidden safe in the classroom.  In the instance of an active shooter teachers would then get the gun out out of the gun safe to protect the students.

This idea is very problematic. First of all, who would pay for the training for the teachers? Many schools are already underfunded, and making them pay for the training, the gun safes, and the guns would be a huge hit to their budget. Teachers cannot pay for it as they are already underpaid.

This argument is problematic for another reason. How do teachers even feel about it? From what I have read on teacher forums, most teachers do not think it is a good idea. Even if the gun is stored in a safe, there is a chance students could find it. Also if a gun is in a safe, the teacher would have to take the time to go to the gun safe and unlock it. This is ineffective as if there is a shooter, there are lives at stake.

The alternative to that is that the teacher keeps it on them at all times. It would be easy for a student to take the weapon from their belt, just as students can break into the gun safes if they find it. There was even an incident in Minnesota, this year,  where an elementary school student pulled the trigger on the gun the school security officer was wearing on his belt. Luckily no one was hurt. Weapons do not belong in the classroom.

This is a huge issue to me, as I want to be a teacher.  I have worked at the elementary school through the Education Professions classes. I personally feel that this is an awful idea. I do not want to be trusted with a gun, because they terrify me. I do not want to be responsible for that kind of risk. I also don’t want to be responsible for shooting a student.
Overall, guns do not belong in the classroom. There needs to be better gun laws that prevent people from getting these weapons.