Tragedy struck Apalachee High School on Sept. 4. Colt Gray, 14, a student of Apalachee High used an AR-15 rifle to kill two students, two teachers and wound nine others; this included eight students and one teacher, resulting in their hospitalization.
In the aftermath of this violent crime, people across America began fighting about what to do to keep children and their caretakers safe. Some propose gun-control, stricter policing and/or metal detectors. Others are rallying behind the idea that we should arm our educators. They believe that teachers should have guns in classrooms ready to fire at any danger that comes lurking.
This is an understandable response as guns have been seen as a tool of safety since their inception. However, the notion that arming teachers will stop school shootings (or even decrease them) is naive and fruitless.
I’d like to start with the fact that in modern history extremely few mass shootings ended with the gunman being shot. The New York Times released an article in June of 2022 stating that out of “433” active shooting threats, only “120” ended with the gunman being shot by a bystander or police officer. Statistically speaking, guns don’t solve gun violence.
If teachers are armed, I have a few logistical questions that would have to be answered by the government. Questions like: What firearms would educators be provided? Do we give our teachers revolvers to use against AR’s? And, do we now discriminate against who can be a teacher on the basis of if they’re capable of properly handling a gun?
If we go off of what law enforcement officers must do, then every teacher that is armed must complete an exam which tests their gun competency. In the state of Louisiana, police must shoot a 96/120 to remain an officer of the law. This score must then be maintained every year.
Teachers get paid dirt across the nation, and the education system is just as poorly funded, so, who is paying for the arming of these teachers?
This is completely ignoring the fact that schools are supposed to be a safe space for kids. Regardless of the reality of schools not being perfect, nor 100% safe, if we arm our teachers then, we’re teaching our youth that safety only comes from combating violence with violence.
As a future educator, I wanted to get an active educator’s perspective on this topic. Luckily, Abby Netterville, an educator at Kenilworth Science and Technology Academy here in Baton Rouge, LA accepted my offer for an interview. Netterville is an educator with 20 years of experience consisting of time in both public and private school institutions.
“A teacher’s role is complex,” Netterville said. “Teachers are asked to protect their student by ensuring they are in a safe place, hidden from sight, if possible, ensuring that they stay calm, and ensuring they stay quiet. As a teacher, if it’s possible, I’ll encourage my students to run away from the school to a safe place.”
It’s sad that we even have to have conversations about this with children in the first place, but unfortunately, that’s today’s reality.
“Although I can understand arguments for and against it, personally I do not believe that teachers should be armed,” Netterville said. “I think that off duty or retired police or military [personnel] should be hired as school security guards or school resource officers not only to protect, but to deter active shooter situations. I don’t think it’s fair to ask a teacher to possibly shoot and kill someone who is potentially one of our own students or former students to protect our other students, not when our instinct is to protect them all.”
The notion that arming educators is the solution to gun violence in school is just fighting fire with fire, and it raises several logistical and ethical questions. The last thing we want to do is turn our schools into warzones.
Educators like Netterville help highlight the complex roles of teachers during these violent and dangerous situations, which further emphasizes the need for alternative, non-violent strategies from people in the field of education.
Instead of shooting back, we as a society need to prioritize finding the root causes of violence (especially amongst younger generations). We must utilize mental health support, community engagement and effective gun control policies, as well as more effective anti-violence figures in our schools.
If we work hard enough, we can create an environment that prioritizes growth, creativity and learning that’s safe for our children. More guns may seem like the easiest fix, but the safety of children cannot rest on an educator with a pistol alone. We, as a society, must codify a better way to ensure the environment that our most vulnerable people should be raised in.
Garrett McEntee is a 19-year-old English sophomore from Benton.
