The Arming and Training of Teachers
By Dustin Milligan
Arming Teachers
The topic of a school shooter is an extremely controversial one that has had many protocols formed in the hope of prevention. Unfortunately, these type of events happen too often and with so much destruction, which is due to minimal protection available. It is important to realize that the student to security guard ratio is huge, making it so that one or two guards might be responsible for the entire school's safety. Something needs to be done. Teachers could fill in these gaps of security absence to prevent mass shootings. This provided support would allow police to arrive on scene and resolve the situation with little or no casualties. All in all if the faculty of schools were trained to use a firearm it would limit the chance of a mass school shooter.
Training
Giving teachers guns seems to be a very practical solution to the dangers of school shooters but the idea leaves a few questions regarding safety and security. First off it would be extremely important to provide them with the necessary training and information to use the weapons as tools for protection. Next, the school would have to conduct psychiatric evaluations of all teachers to ensure the weapons would be given to good hands only. Further more to ensure the teachers training is always crisp monthly sessions would be held to practice their skills and the plans designed to fight back during a school shooting scenario. This being said through the constant push for security the school would remain to be a safe environment protected against anybody who plans to cause harm.
Security of Guns
An argument fought against arming teachers is the weapons would provide an easy access to those who wish to cause harm to others. This being said the fear is a simple irrational one due to steps that would be taken to to ensure the security of the weapons. Teachers would use their weapons just as current security guards do, in very serious and life threatening situations. Depending on the location of the school and the schools codition the weapons could either be contained in a safe located in each class room or in an anti theft holster located on the person of each teacher. The location of the guns would provide a safe environment for the students but also in such a way that the teachers could access them if needed. In the end the weapons could never be accessed by a student but would still be easily accessible to the schools faculty.
Alice
At Avon ALICE is used in the case of a school shooting to create a plan to escape the school if the attacker is far enough from a given classes position. While this is a solution for those who can get out some are forced to use the attack plan of ALICE which encourages students to attack the aggressor with class room objects. Charging towards an armed aggressor would not only prove ineffective but also idiotic. This plan challenges the rule to never bring a knife to a gun fight only the knife is replaced with a text book which opens a gap creating almost no chance for a class to stop the aggressor. The only way to stop a deranged gunman is with another gun the aggressor will not stop and will fire his weapon disregarding any textbooks thrown his way. This being said Arming teachers would allow this acting plan to take place in an efficient manor giving a fighting chance against an attacker.
Limited Security
Many schools contain thousands of students which require a incredibly large building to provide enough space to contain them all. This being said in most schools only a few security guards are on duty covering the entire building leaving a large portion of the school to be left unprotected. It is important to understand that teachers cover most if not all the grounds of a school which would allow the entire building to be under the security of trained teachers. If these teachers were armed it would allow the protection of firearms to cover the entire building making the possibility of a school shooter very minimal. All in all using the teachers as a barrier of defense to protect students would allow the entire building to be protected.
Safety
In some schools students go throughout their day worrying about their safety along with the safety of their peers. This creates a hostile environment leaving the students to become uptight and constantly on guard which limits their ability to learn. In these situations it is almost impossible for the students to dedicate their time to education leading them down a path of misfortune. Arming teachers would create an environment built to display a sense of security in the class room allowing students to completely focus on the important subject in school. With this parents would be more willing to allow their children to attend school not worrying about their child's safety. While safe, students could carry out their days without the fear of an aggressor attacking the school.
Fear
Statistics show that in America most shootings have occurred in high density areas with little or no protection. Most of these attacks occurred because the aggressor new their would be little effort to stop them until the police were notified and arrived on scene. Furthermore, schools are prime targets for these aggressors which is already known but nothing has been done to stop it. Arming teachers would not only provide more protection overall but also create a sort of fear factor in the minds of attackers repelling them from ever committing such a gruesome act. Schools would be seen as heavily fortified areas rather than easy targets greatly reducing the severity and frequency of school shootings.
Police
Current regulations call for a evacuation of the building if possible and waiting for the police to arrive if not possible. The problem with this is the average response time for an emergency is about ten minutes which gives the shooter a large gap to cause massive amounts of harm. Once the police have arrived on scene its only going to take more time to search and clear the entire building safely and efficiently. Teachers and students are held up in their rooms hoping the police can arrive before the aggressor finds them. With this it is important to understand that using the police as the only line of defense will and has proven unsuccessful in preventing shootings.
Amendmant
The second amendment of the constitution states "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, Shall not be infringed." This statement provides the American people with the right and privilege of owning a weapon to protect themselves along with the people of our society. That being said the statement of a militia necessary in the preservation of our free state puts emphasis on the idea that in cases of attacks, terrorism, or any other horrid actions on the soil of the United States of America creates the need to protect ourselves. In the case of a school shooting wouldn't a small army of teachers defending the school act as a militia in the hopes to stop a threat intended to harm members of our society? Giving weapons to teachers would We the people of the united States have the obligation and right to protect each other from those who challenge our beliefs and choose to do us harm.
Conclusion
In the situation of a school shooting very few steps can be taken to ensure the safety of every individual in the area. Steps have been made to prevent these actions but in the end an ideal situation is seen and creates a plan to allow all students to escape the building unharmed. Most of the regulations made are in the assumption that everybody could run out of the building safely, but in reality most people would be trapped with no way to protect themselves. Arming teachers would resolve this problem by compromising the shooters advantage of the use of firearms giving students and staff a way to fight back rather than hurling textbooks. In the end providing teachers with the means to defend themselves along with their class would be an extremely effective step in preventing such a gruesome event.