Essay Example: Rise in Gun-Related Violence in US Schools

Introduction

Violence in schools has undergone significant transformations since an evaluation of the attacks reported in the United States indicates how gun-related violence has been on the rise. In recent years, the United States has reported an increase in the number of massive shootings in schools (Olive, 2019). On February 04, 2018, a man who previously attended the school, opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida (Koch, 2012). The gunman killed 17 people and injured 17 others. The shooting became the deadliest gun-related attack in a school in United States history (Campo-Flores, 2019). Since this mass shooting, Florida officials have been tossing the idea of allowing teachers to bring weapons to school. On October 01, 2019, the Florida governor passed a bill that allowed teachers to carry guns to school for their students and their protection from possible shooters (Newborn, n.d). The State of Florida took the initiative to allow teachers to carry guns to school as an intervention to curb gun-related attacks in schools. This paper evaluates the justification, effectiveness, and implication of this approach of arming teachers to mitigate the prevalence of massive gun shootings in schools in Florida state.

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Justification of Arming Teachers in Florida State

The increasing number of gun-related violence in schools justifies the need for strategic implementations to protect school children (Wagner & Sonmez, 2019; Minshew, 2018). The first school shooting in the country happened back in 1764, which was later referred to as the Pontiac Rebellion School Massacre (Klek, 2009). In this instance, only three children survived out of the 13 that attended the school (Klek, 2009). During the 19th century, a whopping 49 school shootings occurred across kindergarten to high school. In the 20th century, there have been over 207 school shootings across the nation and since the year 2000, there have been 152 school shootings (K12 Academics, n.d.). These statistics show that school shootings have increased by 19% since the beginning of the 21st century. In this case, the immediate intervention to protect school children is to enhance the capacity of teachers to offer security, which could be achieved by allowing them to carry firearms.

Additionally, the other reason why arming teachers is one of the justified interventions is the extent to which shootings in schools affect different people and raises concerns among those at risk, those affected, and all the stakeholders (Koch, 2012). Parents, teachers, counselors, and administrators are concerned about school children safety. Major incidences such as those in Columbine, Sandy Hook, and more recently, the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida have exacerbated the fear among parents, teachers, students, and the community at large (Koch, 2012). The innocent lives of children are being claimed by senseless acts of gun violence across the United States. According to Koch (2012), a student living in the United States, compared to countries such as Finland or Sweden, are 13 times more likely to be killed in a gun homicide.

Effectiveness of Arming Teachers in Florida State

The problem of gun violence has been discussed from different perspectives (DeMitchell & Rath, 2019; Kleck, 2009). The bill that was passed in Florida specifies that teachers must be screened for drugs and pass a psychological evaluation, along with at least 144 hours of training before they can be allowed to carry a weapon to school, but this is only for a very small percentage of the counties in Florida. In this case, the bill offers the opportunity for certified teachers to be allowed to carry guns to school. Additionally, the bill ascertains that teachers should meet the training requirements before being allowed to carry guns to school and class. Based on the justifications and the framework of the bill, several reasons ascertain how this approach by the state of Florida is an effective measure.

Teachers spend most of their time in school interacting with children through academic and social activities. They understand the structure, setting, and culture of the school, which equally informs their understanding of the potential sources of threats (Olive, 2019). By arming Florida teachers, the professionals are now in a better position to protect their children in school by neutralizing any potential gun attack before it leads to massive loss of innocent lives. Schools in Florida have security measures in place; however, they are not comprehensive enough to address gun-related attacks witnessed in the previous accounts. The move to accent a bill to allow teachers to carry firearms to schools offers an opportunity for a quick response and mitigates the problem of insufficient emergency plans.

Proponents of this move by the state of Florida have also ascertained that placing a few numbers of armed police officers in school compound is insufficient since a threat could come from any corner of the school including the classroom. By allowing the teachers to carry firearms, the state paved to enhance the level of security by increasing the number of people with a firearm. Such a move enhances the intensity of a proactive reaction during an ambush. Several commentators have pointed out that the impact of the 2018 attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida could have been different if teachers in the school had guns (Olive, 2019).

Another aspect of this move, which is important for the state of Florida, is cost reduction. Bypassing the bill, Florida state will reduce the cost of hiring and deploying additional security officers to all schools in the region. "Drawing on these estimates, the cost would range from $19.1 to $22.6 billion annually,5 which accounts for nearly 30% of the current federal education budget (reported by the National Center for Education Statistics to be $78.9 billion)." (Rajan & Branas, 2018). Allowing teachers to carry weapons to school can significantly reduce the estimated cost against the United States' education budget. The income meant to hire additional security personnel could be channeled towards hiring additional teachers and enhance their training in gun handling and response to gun-related ambushes, which will improve their morale and preparedness. Having a higher percentage of teachers in schools would reduce the number of armed resource officers that need to be placed in each school.

The Negative Implications of Arming Teachers in Florida State

The implementation of arming teachers to reduce cases of gun-related massive shootings in schools in Florida state has elicited different reactions. A multidimensional assessment of the long-term effect of this approach to reduce gun-related attacks in schools reveals the existence of significant implications for teachers, students, and the community. The question that lingers in the mind of policymakers is whether there are other effective alternatives to the bill. Additionally, the bill also raised concerns when the leaders of Florida state reviewed the effect of teachers carrying guns to schools before signing the bill.

A critical analysis of the implication of the bill ascertains that it shoulders the security responsibilities of teachers. Teachers already have a lot on their plates, and the last thing that they need is to also worry about defending themselves and their students against an armed intruder (Olive, 2019; Lakeith, 2016). An increase in responsibility among teachers could affect how children receive their education. Teachers may have heightened anxiety, depression, and overall fear, which may cause distraction and eventually lead to an improper learning environment for children. There is equally a potential risk of burnout among teachers since they have to concentrate on delivering the curriculum requirements while at the same time meeting the security-related performance requirements. Another aspect that should be discussed is that there have already been occurrences of hazardous situations.

Arming teachers could also pave the way for other occurrences where the teachers end up being a threat to students and other staff members. For example, there have been 74-gun related incidents in Florida schools due to the mishandling of weapons by teachers. Some of the critical incidences include a teacher dropping weapons on playgrounds or accidentally firing the weapon during a safety demonstration in a class (Holson, 2019). Additionally, there is a risk or the possibility of teachers who initially met the gun certification requirements as indicated in the bill succumbing to drugs or anger management issues along the way. Such teachers are a threat to the learners. Additionally, the move sends a negative message to the public. Residents of the Florida state are left to wonder whether the government can protect their children (Newborn, n.d). The citizens continue to worry whether teachers are capable to effectively execute the security mandate of protecting their children.

Moreover, teachers with guns in classes and around the school paints a different picture in the minds of learners. Anxiety, distress, fear, and negative perception about school could become common issues that school counselors will have to deal with occasionally. The board of education members in many counties across the state of Florida is extremely against the bill (Newborn, n.d). Children could consider this as an indication of their vulnerability to danger (Lakeith, 2016). It creates a contradictory atmosphere when the same teachers carrying guns are expected to train the children on essential social norms and behaviors such as shunning violence in society. Children have a distinct relationship with their teachers. Therefore, the move to allow teachers to carry guns in school and class could adversely impact their perceptions regarding their instructors (Olive, 2019).

Conclusion

In conclusion, gun-related violence in Florida schools is a critical concern. Such incidences have led to a high number of deaths and casualties in recent years. The state’s government embarked on setting up measures to curb this problem, which saw teachers being allowed to carry firearms to school through a bill that was recently enacted. Allowing teachers to carry guns to school will enhance their proactive reaction to combating abrupt attacks in the school compound, it will reduce the cost incurred by the state government, and reduce the impact of attacks in case they occur. On the flip side, such a move will increase the responsibility of teachers, impact the process of instruction delivery, and could increase the dangers that children are exposed to in school.

References

Campo-Flores, A. (2019, September 09). Florida Decided to Let Teachers Carry Guns but Few Are. The WSJ. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/most-florida-schools-opt-out-of-arming-teachers-11568030401

DeMitchell, T. A., & Rath, C. C. (2019). Armed and Dangerous -- Teachers? A Policy Response to Security in Our Public Schools. Brigham Young University Education & Law Journal, 2019(1), 63–93. https://digitalcommons.law.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1415&context=elj

Holson, L. M. (2019, October 01). Florida Teachers Can Now Carry Guns at School. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/01/us/florida-teachers-guns.html

Kleck, G. (2009). Mass shootings in schools: The worst possible case for gun control. American Behavioral Scientist, 52, 1447–1464. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764209332557

Koch, K. (2012). Gun violence in America. Havard News-Gazette. Retrieved from http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2012/12/looking-for...