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Background on the topic of gun violence in US schools
Background on the topic of gun violence in US schools
An essay on school violence
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Violence in Our Schools
Most Americans don't understand the extent of violence in our school system
today or simply don't understand how to address the issue. All we can seem to do is talk
how bad the situation has gotten. Politicians and members of the press want to debate this
issue to their benefit of gaining societies approval. Violence in schools has spread widely
throughout the nation and has caused many problems among students, families, faculty of
schools, and residents of the areas.These issues will be discussed and I will produce what
could or "should" be done to correct these problems.
These dilemmas have been addressed but seem to be an ongoing struggle that can
never be overcome. Almost three-fourths of the United States teens are afraid of violent
crime amongst their peers(Apfel 23). With all this controversy more and more people are
obtaining weapons to ensure their safety. Nearly half of all males and one-third of all
students including females said they can easily obtain a handgun if they wanted to(Glazer
14). However, their are many possible ways we can stop this violence in schools.
One positive step to engage in this process is to install metal detectors into the
schools of children everywhere. Since schools have gotten metal detectors and scanners,
they have cut down the rate of having handguns in schools by nearly 58%(Glazer 5).
People think that carrying guns around schools with them will make them cool or fit in
with other people like themselves. By issuing these metal detectors, students who carry
guns to schools for this reason could possibly be easily discouraged from doing so. It also
helps that students who actually are able to get guns into the school are increasingly ...
... middle of paper ...
...aps these people who are supposed to be addressing
the issue, simply aren't because of the personal profit they are able to obtain from these
events happening. While this is a harsh accusation and mere speculation on my part, I
believe there is evidence in the palm of our hands. My primary concern is the media and
the publicity these students get from the daily news. I understand that they are there to
provide us with the current events, but the fashion in which you present this information
must carefully be examined before it is allowed to air. Is it possible that news
corporations make these events huge issues not because of the concern but because of the
tendency they have of reoccurring with the instant fame the students get from this
publicity? This is one of many questions we must ask if we are to ever eliminate these
problems in our schools.
In “Stop Worrying About Guns in the Classroom. They’re Already here.” the author, Erik Gilbert, argues in favor of the law allowing the concealed carry of firearms in college campuses. Gilbert claims that it’s futile to be “worried by the prospect of having guns in [the] classroom” because he believes that even before the bill was passed, some students and faculty were already carrying firearms to campus (Gilbert). Furthermore, he insinuates that despite the presence of firearms, there were no incidents of student or faculty causing harm. To support his argument, the author provides incidents which have occurred over the last decade at his campus, such as accidental discharge of guns in dorms, firearms in student’s vehicles, and one faculty member who was discovered to be in possession of a gun in an on-campus facility. Considering these incidents and previous knowledge of “prevailing regional attitudes towards guns”, the author assumes that significant numbers of students, and possibly faculty, bring guns on campus regularly (Gilbert). As for those who are afraid due to the new law, he declares to them that firearm permit-holders are not dangerous by comparing the rate of their crimes to that of police officers. He also reasons that permit holders need to be at least 21 to qualify—claiming that the more mature students qualify—and have background checks performed.
Timothy Wheeler, talks about how guns can save lives in his essay “There’s A Reason They Choose Schools”. Wheeler writes that shooters choose schools because of the rules that are placed on campuses. Wheeler’s writes, “[t]he only solution is a prepared and brave defender with the proper lifesaving tool- and gun” (Wheeler, 657). But if everyone has a gun and a shooter comes into a college campus everyone will have a gun out. This means that when the police show up they will not know
One reason teachers should not be able to carry guns because guns are currently illegal in schools; Guns are illegal because they are dangerous. The Gun Free School Zone Act (GFSZA) is a federal law that was accepted in the United States in 1990. According to the GFSZA, “It shall be unlawful for any individual knowingly to possess a firearm at a place that the individual knows, or has reasonable cause to believe, is a school zone.” In order for teachers to carry guns, we would have to discard this law. Also, the school board would have to create a new policy, allowing teachers to carry guns. Adjusting the rules would be time consuming and confusing. Changing the GFSZA would make students tense and distract children from learning. Citizens from CNN Politics say, “72.4% of educators said they would be unlikely to bring a firearm to school if allowed to do so.” This data shows that the majority of teachers do not even want possession of a gun in the classroom. School officers have the right to carry guns, teachers should just focus on education. Not only does it create a huge responsibility, there would also need to be a large financial investment to supply guns for every school. This money would be hard to come up with, and not everyone is in favor of sacrificing money for firearms.
... result in allowing it. Students could very fall into the wrong hands, teachers could snap and put others in harm, it could ruin the kid by making them feel nervous about it just being there, so on and so forth. There are numerous adversities that the population would have to face just to prevent something that might never happen. Does it seem worth all the heartaches one could experience? Ask yourselves, Is allowing teachers guns in the school the best option for the better of everyone? Maybe there are other safer and easier solutions to the problem. This world is chaotic and needs to have more security in schools. That is true, but the mindset of allowing teachers the ones to carrgo about things. Think about all the situations that could happen in the future or at anytime if we did allow it, and not just about the minor point that schools need to be more safe.
change as a nation to promote gun and firearm safety in school. When schools have
This sounds dangerous, having guns in schools, but it actually provides more security. Most SRO’s have guns, which they are trained to use. Kenneth S. Trump, president of National School Safety and Security Services, says, “School districts considering arming teachers and school staff with guns would take on significant responsibility and potential liabilities that I firmly believe are beyond the expertise, knowledge-base, experience, and professional capabilities of most school boards and administrators” (Arming Teachers and School Staff- School Security”). Trump does not believe that teachers should be allowed to arm guns inside the school because of a liability issue. Nonetheless, most houses have guns in them, but when they are put up in a safe, or somewhere children cannot get to, the house is still a safe place. Therefore, if the school did allow the teachers to obtain a gun somewhere in the classroom, intruders would be less likely to show up because they know it is the whole school against the single, or few intruders. Teachers will only be allowed to be armed at school if they have a concealed weapons permit, CWP, and are thoroughly trained on how to use a gun. Teachers will be required to go through a drill once a month on how they should hand the situation if an intruder were to come into the building, as well as how they should handle a gun and when they should use the gun. Due to only
What is it called to hide a gun on yourself? Concealed carry. Concealed is what teachers need to be aloud to have in school. This would create schools with more protection, lower % of danger and more secure environment. Just think if you were a violent intruder with a gun and wanting to kill teachers and students. Would you be more likely to enter a class room with an unarmed teacher or one with a gun that knows how to use it?
Schools are perceived as save heavens, and bringing guns to this environment will only extent the amount of violent crimes students experience (Bosman et al). Arming teachers will greatly affect how comfortable or safe minority students feel. Minority students are already taught to be cautious around police officers, since some user their power and weapons to act upon their racist views. So arming teachers would make minority students feel unsafe, have them more alert, and therefore discourage them from attending school since they will no longer trust their teachers. As mentioned in the article, “Why Teachers Should Not Carry Guns,” there is no guarantee that the teacher will reach for the gun in other circumstances, like using it to break up a fight or to discipline students. The guns could also end up in the wrong hands, if the teacher leaves the gun attended or if students distract the teacher in order to get it, more casualties can occur. Instead of money going to arm teachers, that money should be spent on books, computers, and other school materials that are essential in order for students to attain a high
There has been several school shootings. The most deadly being the 2007 virginia tech university. 14 states has passed the law that allows people to carry their guns onto campus. In 2013 there was 2 schools that allowed teachers to carry guns. One which was in kansas and the other was here in arkansas. (guns on campus)
Current laws in the states vary regarding purchasing a gun. A few states do not even require permits in order to purchase a gun, or require owners to register; making it so much easier for these tragedies to keep happening. Many agree the laws for background checks should be more strict because of how laid back they are in some states. The chances of a potential, violent incident happening would be much higher because of this. As reported by Grace Chen, “However, even licensed gun holders are prohibited from bringing their guns onto school property in nearly every school district in the country. Unfortunately, that law hasn't stopped some students from bringing guns into their schools – often with tragic
Over in the United States of America, with in the first 23 weeks, there was 24 school shootings. That averages 1 attack per week where students lose their life. While in Australia, there has not been a mass shooting or school attack since 1996. That’s over two decades where schools have been safe because of Australia safe gun laws. So there is absolutely no need for teachers to have a firearm in class to “protect” the students.
Educators would make the problem worse because they could lose their handgun. Potentially causing a student to find it and could possibly harm someone. In article three it states 21 percent of officers get shot from their own handgun, now imagine a teacher that isnt train as much as officers. Article three also states that many handguns fire
While staying out of site and out of reach of students, this will allow parents to know that their kids are safe when they are sent to school. And it will make the teacher’s job of protecting their students much easier. With the knowledge that staff is carrying, the number of school shootings will go done. South Dakota legislatures have already passed a law to allow staff and volunteers to carry on school premises. Their reasoning to allow this in their schools is because their research shows that most school shootings occur in areas where firearms are prohibited. ("Arming Teachers, Protecting Students."). The author reassures disbelievers that these volunteers and staff will have been approved by either the sheriff or the police chief and will have had the same firearm training as law enforcement. This is the equivalent to having multiple police officers at every school to help protect children when the police force is spread too thin to post their
The President, law-makers and Americans are pushing for teachers to carry guns, which would bring additional risks, promote gun violence, would be costly, and require regulations, when there are alternatives to fight the gun violence in America’s schools.
Others say that carrying and keeping firearms makes them feel safe, but it also makes others feel uncomfortable. Parents say they want their kids to be safe on college campuses, but will they be more safe with guns being allowed on campus? “Taking away guns, taking away drugs, the booze, it won’t rid the criminality in the world,” Vaghn said on Washington Examiner (Vaghn, 2015). Providing guns for college students is a dangerous thing. Parents what their kid to be protected, but little do they know, their kid could be the one that kills someone. Students from ages 18 to 24 are known as the “hot blooded” years (Russell, 2015). Those are the years that college students drink and do drugs, which means if they get drunk they could do dumb things if they owned