With all the school shootings that have taken place around the country, the right to bear arms has come under heavy scrutiny. Should teachers, who have been properly trained, be allowed to arm themselves in the classroom?

Bert’s Response

I have thought about this question for a long time now; even before it was posed on this blog.  I am the father of three girls.  When I saw the story on the Newtown, CT shootings, my heart dropped.  Every day that my children leave my home, I pray to God that He will protect them and bring them home safely.  It scares me on a daily basis to know that I have to place three of the most valuable persons in my life in the hands of another.  I am horrified to think that they could go to school and have to sit in a classroom with a teacher who might be armed.  I am strongly against teachers being armed in the classroom.

Teachers are there to teach.  If we truly believe that children are our future, the various states need to make sure that school districts are funded enough so that they can have adequate police security on campus; whether it is the school district police or city police.  My wife is a school teacher and based on some of our conversations, I have realized that some teachers have horrible classroom management and are not mentally fit to be in the classroom, let alone, to be considered responsible enough to operate a firearm in the presence of children.  Who is to say that this type of teacher won’t get so frustrated with a child who refuses to be obedient that he/she pulls out that weapon in class to bring that child into submission?

In talking to my 8-year old daughter, I asked her what she thought about the issue in terms that she could understand.  She is aware of all of the school shootings that have occurred.  She asked me if the teacher would have access to a gun to shoot the students.  That is a legitimate fear of any child sitting in that environment.  How do you think that might affect his/her ability to learn or concentrate knowing there is a gun in the possession of his/her teacher?  I think the person who came up with this idea is so far disconnected from the real world that it is ridiculous.  I think the National Rifle Association could care less about the safety of our children in its efforts to fight potential gun laws.

Where is the common sense in all of this?  I don’t care how much training a teacher might have.  There are too many intangibles that exist that make this a very dangerous idea/situation; from the teachers’ mental capacity to be responsible with how they store and handle the weapon all the way up to students possibly finding and accessing the weapon.  Classrooms and guns are like oil and water; they don’t mix.

Anthony’s Response 

This is a very touchy subject for most people.  On one hand, some would like to see teachers be able to defend themselves and their students.  On the other hand, others are strongly against teachers carrying any type of weapon in school; regardless of them being properly trained or not. 

 I am on the fence regarding this subject and I am having a hard time saying yes or no to teachers being armed in the classroom.  I have three wonderful nieces.  If something happened to one of them in school and I were made aware that a teacher or school official could have done something to stop it and for whatever reason was unable to; it would truly devastate me.  Because I am on the fence, a part of me does feel that teachers who have been properly trained should be allowed to have a firearm in the class. 

 Why do I think teachers should be trained to use a weapon in school?  In all of the events that have occurred around the country, teachers have proven to be the first line of defense.  When schools go on locked down they expect teachers to get students in their rooms as quickly as possible and to monitor them so they will not be in the hall or roaming around the school. They are expected to protect the students until the issue is over.  During this time, teachers become the primary source of protection for the children in their care.  Because they are the first line of defense they should be trained to handle ANY issue that comes their way, big or small.  Regardless if teachers carry firearms in the class or not, they should always be trained and prepared for the unexpected.   

 The other side of me understands that not every teacher should be allowed to carry a gun.  You have some teachers that cannot handle the stress of carrying a gun and all the responsibility that goes along with it.  Some teachers have poor classroom management and are literally scared to correct certain children who might be misbehaving.  I really don’t believe that this kind of teacher can be properly trained to handle a firearm in a stressful situation.  I feel that this teacher would probably panic if a major issue occurred and more likely stands the chance of having the gun taken away from him/her.  If this were to happen, you would then have a situation going from bad to worse. 

 In reading my own response, I realize that I am really not on the fence.  I actually feel that having properly trained teachers or school officials with access to a weapon will be helpful in schools because they are our children’s first line of defense.  They may be the only chance to neutralize the situation before it has a chance to evolve into something worse. 

Rhonda’s Response 

“One of the ordinary modes, by which tyrants accomplish their purposes without resistance, is, by disarming the people, and making it an offense to keep arms.” 

(Constitutional scholar and Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story, 1840)

The second amendment of the United States (US) Constitution is the right to keep and bear arms. As most laws established by the US, the second amendment was based partially on the right to bear arms in English common law. It is part of the US Bill of Rights (the first ten amendments of the US Constitution), which was established to protect the natural rights of liberty and property of all citizens. The Bill of Rights guarantees a number of personal freedoms, limits the government’s power in judicial and other proceedings, and reserves some powers to the states and the public. Therefore, the second amendment, right to keep and bear arms, was afforded to the US citizens as a natural right of self-defense.

 Many times Americans state the second amendment as the right to bear arms but the key word “keep” is always overlooked. The word “keep” strongly sets the tone for the posed question, “should teachers, who have been properly trained, be allowed to arm themselves in the classroom?” In order to keep, or retain possession, and bear arms as a natural right of self defense means a person needs to have the arm (i.e. gun) with them in order to defend themselves. The criteria on being trained to use the gun efficiently, effectively, and with good judgment falls back on the individual. Other laws handle those who misuse this right. In order for one to defend themselves and others in dire times, the arm has to be available. This is why I do agree that teachers, only if properly trained, should be allowed to arm themselves in the classroom.

 The history of school shootings have been recorded since the 1760’s. A reference that displays some of the statistical data of the school shootings recorded in the US can be found at  US Reported School Shootings. This reference consists of incidents where a firearm was discharged at a school infrastructure, including incidents of shootings on a school bus or near school property while school is in session. The list includes incidents that occurred on the campuses of K-12 public and private schools, colleges and universities. This reference notates 320 deaths from US School shootings. The 320 count does not include all of the earlier school related shootings recorded since the 1760s. Ask yourself this question, what if a teacher was armed during some of these shootings? Could this number be decreased? Could lives have been saved? Would the shooting have happened if the perpetrator knew that they were not the only ones armed?

 Studies have shown that perpetrators of violence minimally act against individuals who bear arms versus those that do not. There is a higher threat that they may be unsuccessful with their violent task or lose their own life against someone who has armed themselves versus those that do not.  This is another reason why I agree that teachers should be allowed to arm themselves in the classroom.

 Schools should be a place of peace, education, social engagement, fun, learning, innovation, and creation of ideas that will aide in shaping and molding the minds of the current and next generations. The fear that school shootings have impelled onto today’s society is changing the definition, culture, and environment of schools. Allowing teachers to arm themselves in the classroom not only will reconstitute the culture and environment of schools, but will bring a sense of protection and safety to those who are arming our children every day with the knowledge they will need to carry this society forward for the next millennium.