wjmacguffin
Proud Liberal
First, a disclaimer: I am a liberal but I understand the 2nd Amendment is actually part of the Constitution and cannot simply be ignored. Also, I've been a teacher (middle and high schools) and a principal.
Arming teachers won't make schools safer and might make schools more dangerous. Why?
1. Armed "good guys" at Columbine and Ft. Hood did nothing to stop the killings there. Two cases don't make an air-tight case, but they cast doubt on the theory that armed individuals in schools can prevent or significantly lesson such violence.
2. Teachers already have to be educators, psychologists, accountants, statisticians, and designers. They are overburdened by work (at least during the school year) and their jobs are one of the most stressful in the country. Asking them to be guards is too much.
3. Kids will probably get the guns and use them. Adults routinely underestimate students. If a teacher has a gun in the classroom or even on their person, a student will get to it eventually. (Not in every school and not every time, but it will happen.) Between gangs in schools, bullying, and the despair that tends to follow adolescents, gun violence will increase if guns are prevalent in schools.
That said, I could see police officers stationed in all schools. They're trained in security and guns (so it will be much less likely to get stolen or misused compared to a teacher), and they can be a positive role models and resources for the school.
It's a sad fact that, if someone is determined to commit a crime, he/she is likely to commit it. A guy who really wants to break into your house and steal your stuff will probably do that regardless of locked doors, bars on windows, security systems, etc. But such things lower the chances of being robbed, so they're good. It's just means that a robbery can still happen and, if it does, that doesn't mean your precautions are unnecessary.
The same holds true for school shootings. Thankfully, they are very rare. And even if we outlawed all guns, some nutjob would attack a school with an axe. But ... BUT ... that doesn't mean we can't decrease the chances (or the lethality) of such incidents. Making it harder for people to get guns won't stop every psycho just like the security system in your home won't stop every criminal--but it will decrease the likelihood and probably decrease the impact.
Arming teachers won't make schools safer and might make schools more dangerous. Why?
1. Armed "good guys" at Columbine and Ft. Hood did nothing to stop the killings there. Two cases don't make an air-tight case, but they cast doubt on the theory that armed individuals in schools can prevent or significantly lesson such violence.
2. Teachers already have to be educators, psychologists, accountants, statisticians, and designers. They are overburdened by work (at least during the school year) and their jobs are one of the most stressful in the country. Asking them to be guards is too much.
3. Kids will probably get the guns and use them. Adults routinely underestimate students. If a teacher has a gun in the classroom or even on their person, a student will get to it eventually. (Not in every school and not every time, but it will happen.) Between gangs in schools, bullying, and the despair that tends to follow adolescents, gun violence will increase if guns are prevalent in schools.
That said, I could see police officers stationed in all schools. They're trained in security and guns (so it will be much less likely to get stolen or misused compared to a teacher), and they can be a positive role models and resources for the school.
It's a sad fact that, if someone is determined to commit a crime, he/she is likely to commit it. A guy who really wants to break into your house and steal your stuff will probably do that regardless of locked doors, bars on windows, security systems, etc. But such things lower the chances of being robbed, so they're good. It's just means that a robbery can still happen and, if it does, that doesn't mean your precautions are unnecessary.
The same holds true for school shootings. Thankfully, they are very rare. And even if we outlawed all guns, some nutjob would attack a school with an axe. But ... BUT ... that doesn't mean we can't decrease the chances (or the lethality) of such incidents. Making it harder for people to get guns won't stop every psycho just like the security system in your home won't stop every criminal--but it will decrease the likelihood and probably decrease the impact.
