Running head: SCHOOLS ARMING STAFF

Should school staff members be armed?

McKenzie Dumas
English 1010
13 April, 2016

SCHOOLS ARMING STAFF

Should School Staff Members Be Armed?

Over the years there are many stories on the news, which have involved some type of
attack at a school. Since the year 2013, there have been nearly a total of 175 or more school
attacks in America. That is nearly at least one attack per week (everytownresearch.org, 2015).
Arming teachers and staff in a school, can help protect everyone involved. This can also help to
not cause those in the middle of an attack to be defenseless.
Attackers have now turned schools into what should be safe for students, and staff into massacre
sights on more than one occasion (Zauzmer, 2015). There are several well-known, and deadliest
school attacks. Some of them being; The Sandy Hook Elementary shooting, which took place in
December of 2002. This is when Adam Lanza a 23-year-old, shot and killed twenty students
between the ages of five and ten Along with six adults who worked at the school. He attacked
the school shortly after he had shot and killed his own mother (Biography.com Editors , 2013).
The Columbine High School shooting is another well-known attack, which took place in 1999.
Eric Harris and his friend Dylan Klebold, both eighteen years old. Shot and killed 13 people, and
wounded more than 20 others during their attack. Before taking their own lives (Biography.com
Editors , n.d.).
Many feel that using a gun in general, no matter the situation should not be taken lightly.
Teachers would not have the nerve, rational thought, or skill to shoot someone on the spot.
Providing training for teachers would not address the whole picture. We would be taking those
who were trained, and obtained a degree to educate to be appointed defenders of a school. Many
staff members may be forced to become armed, when they have never owned or even fired a gun.
Trained professionals like swat teams, police officers, or security guards take on a lot of training
before they are put in those types of situations. Arming staff would require guns to be placed in

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school settings, in where children always are. The gun could easily be used inappropriately, and
become even more harmful to those involved. For a gun to be used for defense, it needs to be
stored in a place where it is accessible (Moore, 2014).
While there are many concerns about staff being armed in schools, there are also some
that feel it is important for those to be able to defend themselves. Arming school officials give
them a fighting chance. A gunman is less likely to attack and target a school that has staff to
defend themselves, and has a standing chance to fightback. Every second counts when involved
in a school attack. Calling 911 and waiting for responders to arrive is not good enough. The staff
that would become armed, would have to complete training and be taught how to use the firearm
properly. Having schools be armed can ensure the safety of children, the staff themselves, and
the visitors the school may have at the time of an attack (Siebold, 2013).
In the state of Ohio, there are concealed carry weapon classes called Armed Teacher
Training, that many teachers and staff have completed or have become interested in. This
program allows insight to fire arm training. As a part of the program those who participate will
learn to shoot very accurately, to the point that their skill level with a gun will exceed 90% of
trained police officers. The main purpose of this training is to educate the trainee on what to do if
there was an active attacker or shooter, and how to defend themselves and others. Those
participating will be put in several shoot and dont shoot scenarios. This will prepare the
teachers and staff for the unthinkable should they be forced into a situation with an active
attacker. This training will also include training for the process of the brain when faced with an
armed attacker, and allow ways to deal with the stress during these types of events (Farmer,
2011).

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When doing these types of training courses and programs, many do not realize the extent
of training you have to go through when obtaining a gun permit. Let alone having a firearm in a
school area. The instructors of the training courses come from various types of backgrounds
including Law enforcement, and the Military. These instructors have hundreds of hours in
training that include gun fighting, active shooter training, and close-quarter battle. Each class
only has up to six students. This allows more one on one training, they will be evaluated by their
competency, and commitment. Following the completion of the two-day course, each student of
the training will be given a 21-day home study course, homework assignments, and a 2-hour
private lesson. Those who are even interested in obtaining a firearm, specifically teachers and
staff of a school must have already completed and taken a 12 hour concealed carry course, and
obtained a concealed carry license in order to enroll in the training program (Farmer, 2011).
The average police response time is 10 minutes, could be more, and could be less. The
number of active shooters in a school are increasing every year. The average school shooting,
only typically lasts 12.5 minutes. According to homeland security statistics, the average police
response time is 18 minutes (School Guard , 2015 ). In the Columbine shooting, taking place in
1999. There were officers that had arrived on scene, just 5 minutes after the first 911 call came
in. One deputy even exchanged gun fire with one of the gunmen. That deputy was then joined by
6 other policemen, but none of them had entered the school. There were a lot of obstacles that the
gunmen had set, including bombs, booby traps, and lack of information or knowledge about how
many gunmen were actually in the school. The policemen had to wait to enter the school until the
SWAT teams had arrived (Kohnn, 2001).
Overall, though it is a concern on whether teachers should be armed and if it is truly safe
for the students or more of a danger. Those who would like to be armed should be able to have

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the option, but not be required to obtain a firearm. Staff in a school setting are there to teach the
students, and protect if anything like a shooting attack happens. Hiding the students away in a
classroom can only hold off an attacker for so long. Leaving all who are victims, defenseless.
With there being extensive stipulations, requirements, and training available there are many
resources to insure that those who qualify can handle a firearm, in a school setting. Especially
with the police response times being so long. There needs to be sometime of defense in order to
assure the safety of all individuals at the school during the time of an attack.

SCHOOLS ARMING STAFF

References
Biography.com Editors . (2013, January 6). Adam Lanza Biography . Retrieved from
Biography.com : http://www.biography.com/people/adam-lanza-21068899#background
Biography.com Editors . (n.d.). Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold . Retrieved from Biography.com:
http://www.biography.com/people/eric-harris-235982
everytownresearch.org. (2015, October 3). Everytown. Retrieved from 175 School shootings in
America since 2013: https://everytownresearch.org/school-shootings/
Moore, R. (2014, October 28). No, Teachers Should Not Carry Guns . Retrieved from Education
Week : http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/10/29/10moore.h34.html
Siebold, S. (2013, August 23 ). Every teacher should have a gun . Retrieved from T & D:
http://thetandd.com/news/every-teacher-should-have-a-gun/article_aaf8da2a-0b6c-11e38678-0019bb2963f4.html
Zauzmer, J. (2015, October 1). The worst school shootings in American History . Retrieved from
The Washington Post : https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/local/wp/2015/10/01/theworst-school-shootings-in-american-history/