Tuesday, February 25, 2025, 6:38AM |  43°
MENU
Advertisement

A bad lesson plan: Arming teachers is no way to secure schools 

A bad lesson plan: Arming teachers is no way to secure schools 

Many reasonable proposals for countering gun violence have surfaced since 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz killed 17 people at a Florida high school this month. President Donald Trump’s proposal to arm teachers, even highly trained teachers, isn’t one of them.

In one tweet, Mr. Trump predicted that a prospective “sicko shooter” would think twice before attacking a school staffed with “weapons-talented teachers.” But the goal should be to have fewer weapons in schools, not more. Even highly trained police officers have difficulty firing accurately during a crisis. It is too much to expect lesser-trained teachers or other school staff members to aim true during moments of chaos. 

Sooner or later, an innocent person would be killed or maimed by an armed teacher. That might be a student caught in the line of fire or a police officer responding to the school emergency. It might even be the teacher with the gun. In a story Friday about at least eight states that allow teachers to carry guns, The Wall Street Journal noted the case of a Utah educator who shot herself in 2014 after resting the gun on her lap during a visit to the restroom. 

Advertisement

Little wonder the National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers and various law-enforcement officials oppose the president’s proposal. “I don’t know that’s something we want to necessarily throw on the backs of teachers,” Oak Brook, Ill., police Chief James Kruger told the Chicago Tribune. “To have them trained and armed and have the wherewithal to make those life-and-death decisions is a lot to throw on them.”

The only exception might be to arm willing teachers in schools in extremely remote areas where police officers are few and far between. In those cases, credentialing and training standards should be established, then enforced, by the federal government.

While there is no single solution to the growing problem of mass shootings, many reasonable proposals are on the table, thanks in no small part to the advocacy of students who survived Mr. Cruz’s attack on their school. Mr. Trump has proposed raising, to 21 from 18, the minimum age for purchasing rifles; 21 already is the minimum for buying handguns. While there is some dissonance in denying gun ownership to those who at 18 reach the age of maturity in other respects, such as voting, this is a reasonable concession to public safety. Mr. Trump also proposed banning bump stocks, which Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock used to turn a semi-automatic rifle into a veritable machine gun, and strengthening background checks for firearms purchases. 

Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania said he wants to revive legislation to require background checks on those who purchase firearms online and at gun shows. His previous efforts, made with Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, were unsuccessful. Also worth exploring is greater use of gun violence restraining orders, which family members or police officers could obtain from a judge to prevent a person from having a gun when he or she is a danger to self or others.

Advertisement

Most of these ideas have the potential to make schools safer, but one, arming teachers, has the potential to make them more dangerous. Teachers have enough to do already. If schools want armed security, let them work with local police departments to have trained officers walk the halls.

First Published: February 26, 2018, 5:00 a.m.

RELATED
SHOW COMMENTS (0)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
Agents took Rachel Marie Powell, 40, of Sandy Lake, into custody in New Castle on Feb. 4, 2021.
1
news
Pardoned for Jan. 6, 'Pink Hat Lady' came home to a new reality in Western Pa.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, shown delivering his budget address in early February, said on Monday that a federal freeze of money intended for Pennsylvania is over.
2
news
Gov. Shapiro says federal freeze and blockages of $2.1 billion for Pa. are now over
Law enforcement respond to the scene of a shooting at UPMC Memorial Hospital in York, Pa. on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.
3
news
Gunman in UPMC mass shooting battled lifelong mental health issues, says ex-girlfriend
The Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg, where state Acting Secretary of Education Carrie Rowe on Monday answered budget questions from lawmakers.
4
news
Pa. acting education secretary 'exceptionally concerned' after report on cyber charter school funding
The Downtown Pittsburgh skyline, with the view from Station Square on Thursday, May 30, 2024.
5
news
DHS director says Allegheny County could face reduction in millions of dollars for Medicaid, other services
Advertisement
LATEST opinion
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story