By Dymond Sam
SAN MARCOS, Texas — Members of congress are
advocating to arm grade school teachers. As this ideology spreads across the
United States, its citizens debate whether the safety of our children would be
in the right hands.
The school shooting in Parkland, Florida,
prompted President Trump’s proposal to arm grade school teachers
on Feb. 22. Trump is also considering monetary bonuses for “school guardians”
who undergo required training, causing havoc among taxpaying critics. While
state legislatures debate the bill, Texas State students and school officials
consider funding for training, alternatives to the problem and the possible
dangers of arming teachers.
As of Thursday, Gun Violence Archive reported a total of 52
shootings in 2018. On Saturday, anti-gun supporters participated in “March for Our Lives”, a movement intended to
expedite the process of stricter gun control.
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| Evan Brieden Photo by Dymond Sam |
Evan Brieden, a Texas State student,
recognizes the recent school shootings as a terrible tragedy but says that it
has not reshaped his stance on gun laws.
“If someone wants to get a gun, they’re gonna
get a gun. They can get them through back allies and stuff like that, so it’s
just hard to regulate. It’s hard to come up with a process to fix that,” says
Brieden.
Guns in grade schools are not unheard of. A study by Texas Association of School Boards
and Texas Education Service Center recorded that 17 percent of Texas school
districts have adopted a policy that permits armed employees. Eight states
allow concealed carry of firearms in grade schools or have no law prohibiting
it, according to Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
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| Jayla Dunbar Photo by Dymond Sam |
Some districts, such as the Garden Valley School District, allow trained staff members to have access to guns that
are locked away in case of an emergency.
Texas State communication studies major Jayla
Dunbar thinks that more incidences would occur if students are made aware of
who possesses the firearms and where they keep them.
“"I think it
should just be a select few and they should be low-key so no one knows they
have a gun," Dunbar said. "I think when people are aware, that's how
more things end up happening."
According to USA Today, the training to become a “school
guardian” includes over 80 hours of firearm instruction and active shooter
scenarios. Drug tests and psychological evaluations are also required.
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| Otto Glenewinkel Photo by Ashley Bowerman |
University police
officer Otto Glenewinkel says that teachers have enough on their plates, and if
a bad guy gets into a classroom, then the institution's security plan has
already failed them.
“I think it’s a bad
idea because teachers have enough stuff to do with teaching, and I don’t think
they need to be worrying about keeping the school safe,” Glenewinkel said.
“Would I want a teacher to have a gun if a bad guy was in the room and my son
was there and the teacher was the last person in between my son dying and the
bad guy? Absolutely. Teachers aren’t the ones who should be securing the
schools.”
The price tag on school safety measures are not cheap. Brookings
analyst Michael Hansen gave CNBC an estimate of $650 million or $1,000 per
teacher a year to train. Many critics prefer schools to hire more school
resource officers than to arm teachers. Former GOP house speaker Newt Gingrich
proposed hiring 6-8 armed guards in every school. The Washington Post analysis found that this alternative fell
between $63 billion and $84 billion.
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| Nathaniel Mendoza Photo by Shanell Smith and Payton Samudio |
Texas State
student and applied math major Nathaniel Mendoza said that the funding for
training and guns should come from taxpayers and direct funding to school
districts.
“I don’t think that taxpayers
should have to pay the full amount,” said Mendoza. “But it’s your kids, your
community, you should help pay.”
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| Danielle Kelly Photo by Dymond Sam |
While some are
advocating to arm teachers, others are considering less violent alternatives,
such as mental health exams, bulletproof whiteboards and Barracuda intruder defense systems.
Danielle Kelly, a Texas State student, had many alternatives in mind.
“Restricting the age limit for guns, restricting who can buy guns,
[federal] background checks…. there is so many,” said Kelly. “No bump stocks,
no AR-15s, no mass destruction of war that civilians can get a hold of.”
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| Vangelis Metsis Photo by Dymond Sam |
Texas State computer science system professor Vangelis Metsis compares
the number of mass shootings in the United States to incidences in Greece, his
home country. He said that there are no guns allowed to the general public, and
the rates of mass shooting are slim to none.
“There could be individual
shootings when there are two bad guys shooting each other, or, you know, there
could be a robbery where one person gets shot, but there are no cases of mass
shootings," Metsis said. "Not having access to guns I think that’s
the reason for it ... I don’t see a reason to have semi-automatic guns at home.
You can have a hunting gun at home for your own protection and that would be
enough.”
Support the anti-gun movement by donating and signing petitions.
Demand change from U.S. senators and representatives by calling 202-224-3121.
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