Arming teachers endangers school safety

In mid-September, the Arkansas Board of Private Investigators and Private Security Agencies decided to allow school faculty members to carry arms in classrooms as defense against potential attackers. But this response does not adequately solve the issue of school shootings; in fact, it will only exacerbate the current dilemma.

Mollie Berg | Daily Trojan

Conservatives assert that the largest shootings occur in gun-free zones, such as schools; therefore, arming teachers is the most appropriate answer to prevent future tragedies. But this mentality is deeply flawed.

On Oct. 24, two national guardsmen were shot by another guardsman at a Tennessee naval base. Aaron Alexis killed 12 individuals at the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C. Nidal Hasan took the lives of 13 innocent people at the Fort Hood military base in 2009.

These crimes occurred in areas with the presence of several armed adults. Evidently, the problem isn’t the lack of guns. The problem is the guns themselves.

Furthermore, the approach of arming faculty members assumes all educators are rational individuals, incapable of inflicting harm upon their own students. But from these recent cases of rape to physical abuse, numerous instances of teachers harming their students do exist. One cannot presume a teacher would never use his or her gun for an act of violence.

Moreover, a teacher, who has received minimal safety training — in contrast with a security guard or policeman — is less likely to succeed in defending his or her students during a crisis.

Organizations such as the National Rifle Association, which is arguably more concerned with capitalizing off of firearm sales than protecting the welfare of the American public, firmly support arming teachers and consistently oppose any gun control efforts.

America cannot resort to fighting fire with fire. Arming teachers is a Band-Aid remedy and politicians need to instead focus on implementing a lasting solution.

The core of the issue is the sale of weapons. According to the Small Arms Survey by the Graduate Institute of International Studies, the United States is the most heavily armed country in the world, with its citizens owning 270 million of the world’s 875 million documented firearms.

President Barack Obama proposed a bill that would have increased background checks before granting guns to Americans. That same bill would have banned certain semi-automatic rifles, which are often the culprits behind mass atrocities such as the Sandy Hook massacre.

But Congress rejected this bill even though nearly 90 percent of America wanted it to pass, failing to truly represent the opinions of its constituents, according to polls conducted by CNN.

In response to the failure of the bill, Obama remarked in a speech in the Rose Garden of the White House, “The American people are trying to figure out how can something have 90 percent support and yet not happen.”

Rather than blatantly disregarding the voices of the majority, Congress should support legislation that aims to quell the presence of guns in order to save lives and save face in the international society.

David Rothkopf of Foreign Policy believes America’s ability to lead the world is affected by its “gun-crazed” society.

The American people must continue the push for greater gun control. Otherwise, stories of murders and massacres will only further inundate news headlines. But until that legislation occurs, a more rational approach to dealing with school shootings, rather than arming faculty, is to teach educators how to disarm intruders.

Defensive Tactics Solutions, a team of law enforcement experts and professionals, provides hands-on self-defense training without the use of weapons. CNN reported how Defensive Tactics Solutions recently conducted free workshops in Lake Mary, Fla.

In Obama’s words, “We’re going to be able to get this done. Sooner or later, we are going to get this right. The memories of these children demand it. And so do the American people.”

He’s right. Change will come. But we cannot become victim to the fallacious arguments of the NRA and other gun proponents in the meantime.

Rini Sampath is a sophomore majoring in international relations (global business). She is also the Editorial Director of the Daily Trojan.