Throughout the course of the twentieth century, the America educational system experienced many changes, especially in the later half of the twentieth century. The educational system changed in academics, the addition of technology in the classroom, and most recently within the last twenty years, the safety in the school building during school day. During much of the twentieth century, the topic of school safety did not cross anyone's minds. During 1990s, many events happened in the school building, which the topic regarding to school safety started to become a very important issue in the American educational system. One of the most well known events that happened during the 1990s, which started the conversation about improving school safety measures, was the 1999 shooting of Columbine High School. Following the shooting at Columbine, several people started the conversation of school safety, some believed that gun control is the answer; others believe that arming teachers with gins is the answer. The 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School brought the conversation in full force. Many want to take political actions in response to the shooting, many, again, debated to arm teachers with guns, or institute stricter gun control laws. Both sides of the issue argue that the schools will be safer, but one of them might pave the road to a much safer school environment. Recently, arming teachers with guns have been a much debated and controversial issue in recent years. Many believe that it will save money, and be much more effective. In this essay, I will assess and examine the benefits and the drawbacks of arming teachers with guns in the classroom, and look at the effectiveness of arming teachers, compared to hiring school resource officers to maintain the safety of the environment in the school building during the school day.

Following the shooting at Columbine High School in 1999, the shooting at Virginia Tech in 2007, and most recently, the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012, many teachers, parents, students, and lawmakers came together to determine what is the best coarse of action to handle the tragic school shootings. Some believed that stricter measures for gun control must be in place. Others believe that hiring more security guards to walk the halls of the school buildings during the day will make it a much safer environment. Other individuals believe that arming teachers with guns in the classroom is the answer to make the schools safer because more individuals in the school building will be able to defend themselves, if a school shooting, or any other threat within were to occur. Following the shootings, many lawmakers in both Washington D.C. and many state legislatures across the country started to debate whether or not arming teachers with guns in the classroom us the answer to maintain safety in the school building during the school day. According to Erin Macpherson, a reporter for WPDE-TV, a local television station in the Florence and Myrtle Beach, SC market, that "In 2013, at least 33 states introduced more than 80 bills related to arming teachers and staff." (Macpherson) According to the article, many debates started to pop up in state legislatures regarding to arming teachers after the Sandy Hook shootings. Many school shootings happen because of a gun free sign that is posted at the front of the school buildings, according to South Carolina Representative Phillip Lowe. He also says, "The people who are deranged and want to inflict pain choose a school because it's a gun-free zone, and they can inflict the most punishment on innocent people." (Macpherson) If the law permits teachers to have a gun in the classroom, the school districts may opt, or opt out of adopting this policy, but if a teacher chooses to carry a gun, he or she must go through training sessions in order to carry a gun properly in the classroom. 

Recently, several school districts across the United States have adopted policies to permit teachers and staff to carry guns in the classroom. A Colorado school superintendent decided to adopt a policy to allow teachers to have a gun in the school building during the school day, he believes that "it's not ideal ...  it's not that we just want to have a gun in a school. It's because it really is a benefit, we believe, to the security of our students." (Ferner) Many proponents of arming teachers with guns in the classroom believe that security is the number one priority in modern day schools in this 21st Century environment. They believe that it will be much more efficient than hiring more security officers to walk the halls of the school. Many believe that this policy is much more efficient, and perhaps, more affordable, especially in rural areas. For example, a local school district in Colorado "voted to give two of its top administrators the ability to legally carry firearms in school because the district is so small the couldn't afford to hire a full-time security officer." (Fenrer) Many other states did, likewise, permitted teachers to carry guns to school. Randy Borum, of The University of South Florida, argues, concerning the Gun-Free Schools Act of 1994, "As a federal matter, the GFSA was designed to target the possession of firearms, but because the law directed states to pass their own legislation, many states enacted bills that required expulsion ...  for bringing a firearm to school ...  (Borum 28) Because of the rise of the Gun-Free Schools Act, and also, the "zero-tolerance" movement, many schools experienced increases in violence, according to Borum's chart. (Borum 30) 

Following the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, many pro-gun organizations started to speak up of what to do about the increasing violence in the schools "A week after the shooting, Wayne LaPierre, Chief Executive Officer of the National Rifle Association, announced that the organization supported placing armed security guards in every school in the country. He famously stated that '[t]he only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.' And then asked, '[w]ould you rather have your 911 call bring a good guy with a gun from a mile away or a minute away?" (Keller 628) LaPierre believes that if teachers have guns to defend themselves, if a school shooting were to happen, many lives would be saved because more individuals would have access to a weapon for defense, rather than to rely one or two security guards, or dial 911 and wait for someone with a weapon for defense to arrive and handle the problem. Not only does arming teachers with guns save more lives; it is much more convenient because of the amount of individuals who have guns. During the 2016 Presidential Election, gun control is one of the key issues in many of the current and former candidates' campaigns. One of the key issues within the gun control issue is the topic of whether or not to arm a teacher with a gun. Donald Trump, the Republican Presidential front-runner, is an advocate to arm teachers with a gun. In an interview with Walter Scott, a reporter for CNN, Trump said, in response to a recent school shooting in Oregon,  "'By the way, it was a gun-free zone,' he said at a campaign event in Franklin, Tennessee. "Let me tell you, if you had a couple teachers with guns in that room, you would have been ...  a lot better off.'" (Scott) Former 2016 Presidential contender, Ben Carson, is also an avid gun rights supporter. Carson said in an interview with MSNBC, "'If I had a little kid in kindergarten somewhere. I would feel much more safe if I knew on that campus there was a police officer or somebody who was trained with a weapon,' said Carson, who is the father of three grown sons, 'If the teacher was trained in the use of that weapon and had access to it, I would be much more comfortable if they had one than if they didn't.'" (Timm) Many people believe, whether they are parents, politicians, or interest groups, that many appropriate measures must be taken into account in order for teachers and school staff members to have access to a gun, by the discretion by the local police department, in order to maintain safety within the school buildings, and also maintaining law and order in the surrounding areas of the premises of the school building. As mentioned in the numerous sources, arming teachers with guns will save money, especially in school districts, that cannot afford to hire an extra security officer, or not one at all. It is also more of a beneficiary factor because more individuals will have access to a gun if a school is threatened, many parents, according to articles, feel more secure, with the knowledge that their children are safe in school because their teachers will have the adequate tools to defend themselves and their students against an act of violence in the school building.

Many individuals believe that arming teachers with guns is the best move to make when it comes to a response to school safety, however, many believe that it is not so. Opponents of the issue of arming teachers with guns are against it because of the trust issue of the teachers. Even though teachers go through in depth training in order to have a gun in the classroom, they must know how to keep it out of the students' reach. A local school district superintendent in Arizona believes that his school district will not implement the policy until they find a way for teachers to carry a gun around the students. He says. "'We would not do it at this time until we know that there is adequate training for someone to be carrying (a firearm) around. But we respect those that do,' Glover said." (Grimwood) Many people believe, both proponents and opponents of the issue, that teachers must find a way to keep the guns away from the children and away from their reach. Joe Eden argues about the law about not having a gun at a Nebraska university campus. Eden argues, "The Court placed emphasis on the right to bear arms for purposes of self-defense, and further recognized the word 'bear,' in a Second Amendment context, allows for the carrying of concealed weapons for purposes of confrontation. Nowhere in the opinion did the Court limit their understanding of confrontation to those occurring only within one's home." (Eden 130)  Eden believes that even though many people believe that stricter gun control laws are much more beneficial, he also believes that taking guns away from teachers may cross the line as a limitation of freedom. (Eden 131-132) Many people are opposed to having a gun in the school building is because many people are scared of the threats it may bring, and also, the fear of being a victim, which gave rise to the zero tolerance movement. Ben Brown believes that even though the chances of a school shooting is small, people must stand their ground. He writes, " Nonetheless, school safety is not an issue to be neglected. Although the chance of a child suffering a violent death at school is small, there is no debate over the fact that kids use weapons to assault and kill one another at school ...  bring fearful of victimization at school, and knowing other students who carry weapons ... " (Brown 373), Brown believes that there is another way to address school violence. 

Although, many parents are supportive of arming teachers with guns in the classroom, there are many parents that are strongly opposed to the issue of arming teachers with guns in the classroom. Recently, a local school district in Connecticut was debating about the issue in a board meeting; some school officials and parents spoke in support of the issue, others spoke in opposition of the issue. One parent, Susan Schulley, who is strongly opposed to the issue, said, "'These are my neighbors,' Schulley said. 'I don't have guns in the house. I am careful about whose home my children go to regarding guns. I can't imagine being a teacher and not a trained police officer and carrying a gun.'" (Tuz) Many people who are opposed to the idea of arming teachers with guns believe that the security officers should be the ones to handle the matters of school violence because they are formally trained, and it is their job to maintain safety in the community, within. Dannel Malloy, the Governor of Connecticut, is vehemently against the idea, which is says, "'If any board of education would approve this, I'd be shocked, frightened and disappointed,' the governor said. 'It makes no sense. And no school system in the state of Connecticut should be allowed to do this.'" (Tuz) Many people who believe that teachers shouldn't have a gun in the classroom is because they do not have the formal training skills as a police officer does. 

As there are many people believe that teachers should have the right to provide the necessary measures to ensure that schools are safe by having a gun close to their side, others believe that it should be up for the school resource officers to provide the safety for the schools. A local school district in Texas debated on arming teachers with guns, many were critical to that approach. They have come to the conclusion that it is the security officer's job to have the weapons necessary to defend the school from violent threats during the school day. Ashley Rose, of the Cleburne Times Review, interviewed Superintendents Kenneth Estes of Alvarado ISD and Joe Perrin of Grandview ISD. Estes believes "'At this time, a decision has not been made to adopt the school marshal or guardian program,' Alvarado ISD Superintendent Kenneth Estes said. 'Our administrative team and board of trustees are very serious about the safety and security of students and staff. We continue to take a proactive approach and recently added a second school resource officer for the district to make sure the learning environment at each campus is safe.'" (Rose) As Estes speaks in support in hiring more school resource officers, Perrin says the same thing, which he says, "Student and staff safety is very important to us at Grandview ISD,' Perrin said. 'At this time we have a student resource officer on our campuses and have a close working relationship with the Grandview Police Department. Arming teachers at school is not something we have discussed at this point." (Rose) Many opponents believe that there can be an alternative measure that can be instituted, which can lead to a much safer environment in school. Both sides of the issue believe that their idea of school safety will save lives of students from harm within the school building, however, opponents of the issue, mainly consists of parents, teachers, and politicians, believe that it is the duty of a local police officer to walk the halls of a school to see that intruders do not come and cause harm for students, teachers, and staff members.

In conclusion, it is the opinion of both sides that students should feel safe in school, and learn in a safe and comfortable learning environment. Those who support the idea of arming teachers with a gun believe that it will save much more lives and more money because, less money would be spent on paying salaries of police officers to walk the halls of the school. Instead, teachers can carry that responsibility, and not only that; more people in the building will have a tool to defend themselves and students. The Second Amendment in the United States Constitution guarantees the right of individuals to bear arms in order to defend themselves from harm. If one tries to impose a law, prohibiting that right, it draws the line of limiting one's constitutional freedom and right. Arming teachers with guns will be beneficial in the long term, because more lives will be saved, and students and teachers will be able to work in a much safer environment.

