Should Teachers Be Armed?

Give Teachers Guns, Prevent School Shootings?

Team iconcealed.com shines a light on a recent tragedy that has sparked heated debate.

After a gunman killed 17 and wounded more than a dozen people last week in Florida, some have suggested arming teachers as a means to prevent more mass shootings in schools.

The attack is the 17th school shooting in 2018 alone. Since then, student activists have organized and called on President Trump and legislators to enact stricter gun laws.

In Denver, a Colorado lawmaker and former Columbine High School student is scheduled to introduce legislation that allows concealed handgun permit holders the right to carry firearms in K-12 schools.

“This act would allow every law-abiding citizen who holds a concealed carry permit, issued from their chief law-enforcement officer, the right to carry concealed in order to defend themselves and most importantly our children from the worst-case scenarios,” said Patrick Neville, R-Castle Rock.

Neville was a sophomore during the Columbine school shootings on April 20, 1999.

During a recent White House “listening session,” President Trump suggested it would be a good idea to arm teachers in order to end future school shootings. He followed up with a series of tweets clarifying that “only the best” teachers should have guns, ones “with military or special training experience.”

“Highly trained teachers would also serve as a deterrent to the cowards that do this,” Trump tweeted. “A ‘gun free’ school is a magnet for bad people. ATTACKS WOULD END!”

The push back from Parkland student activists and some educators was swift and loud, writing on social media that they don’t want to carry guns.