Guns or No Guns For Teachers

“There is a recognition the Second Amendment rights, like the First Amendment and other rights, come with responsibilities and limitations. There is no reason both sides of the gun debate can’t support policies that both can’t protect the right to legally own guns for sport and safety, and reduce the likelihood of mass fatality.” Quoted by Randi Weingarten. 
There are many mixed feelings on allowing teachers to have guns at school and how safety could be improved. This has proved a problem that requires more attention because of the recent shootings in Florida, California, Kentucky and the tragedies that have occurred during them. Because of the problems guns have caused, some people think that guns should be taken out of the picture or that there should be more restrictions placed on them such as a higher age limit. Others think that more security should be added such as police officers or people previously in the military to guard entrances.

I asked some students at WCHS what their thoughts on the subject are and most had different viewpoints on it. The majority however believed that teachers should be allowed to have guns at school for additional security in classrooms. One of the interviewees stated “teachers are already laying down their lives to save their students, why not give them a way to protect themselves too.” the most common follow up to why students wanted their teachers to have guns was that teachers were protecting their students as past news stories have shown and the teachers don’t have a way to protect themselves and they should to better improve the safety of the school.

Here at WC we have installed threatextinguishers around our school as an alternative to guns. 

Threat extinguishers are concentrated cans of pepper spray that set off and alarm when they are removed from their containers. The people I interviewed that thought teachers shouldn’t have guns, said that they saw these as a better alternative to allowing the teachers to have guns. Another alternative that was seen fit was just following school procedures in classrooms such as attacking the trespasser with the objects they have in the classroom with them. Another student stated they think teachers could be impulsive and cause further issues than what could be prevented. each person I have interviewed has a different opinion on the matter but they all think that there should be a change in some way.

~Lilly Heidorn