Pros And Cons Of School Shootings

School Shootings and Arming Staff Members “Instead of blasting his way into the Sandy Hook Elementary School and killing 26 students and staff without anyone to stop him, Adam Lanza runs into a teacher or supervisor with a gun. Mr. Lanza is killed or incapacitated, and a massacre is averted” (Scherer 1). In today’s world, school shootings are becoming a regular thing. Parents fear their child’s safety every day when they send them to school. According to research, there have been 290 school shootings since 2013 (McCarthy 1). Since so many school shootings have occurred, parents and citizens are suggesting that school staff members should be armed. Arming teachers could possibly eliminate school shootings completely or at least decrease the

Arming staff members could lower and maybe even eliminate school shootings all together. If staff members are armed and are given proper training on gun control then it may work. Although there are some cons on the idea, there are far more pros that outweigh the cons. Research says people in favor of teachers carrying guns thinks it gives teachers a fighting chance. They also think police cannot watch every entrance of every school, so it is bound to happen again (Scherer 2). Parents and students worry about their safety at school every day. Arming teachers could possibly lower the stress and fear that some parents have when they send their child to school every day. According to research the National Rifle Association thinks at least one person at every school should carry a weapon in case of emergency (Weatherby 123). If teachers were armed, shootings would not occur as often because the playing field between the shooter and the school is even. Shooters would more likely attack a school with no guns than a school with guns. Arming teachers would make schools a harder target, therefore it would lower the number of shootings that happen. People opposed to the idea of arming teachers may fear it would endanger the students more if the teachers had a weapon. If teachers are properly trained on how to use a gun and on gun safety, it should not be a problem. Teachers would definitely have to keep their weapon somewhere safe and secure, however as long as students are safe that is all that should matter. Research states that over thirty states have made bills that, if passed, give school teachers permission to carry weapons during the school day. Eleven states have adopted this bill (Weatherby