Submitted by: Submitted by jkmoss2170
Views: 67
Words: 429
Pages: 2
Category: Societal Issues
Date Submitted: 06/10/2014 04:30 PM
My Position
There is much debate over whether placing armed guards in schools will help stop school violence. My position on this debate is having armed guards will not help stop school violence. First, placing armed guards in schools is just not practical. There are just too many schools in the US for armed guards to be in all of them. Generally, most schools probably do not have the budget for guards. Even so, one or two guards could not possibly watch hundreds or even thousands of students.
Second, guards armed with a handgun or shotgun, and maybe a bulletproof vest, do not stand a chance against a shooters armed with military type rifles like the AR-15. Moreover some shooters have been known to wear full body armor and even be armed with explosives devices. Some would be shooters may even get ahold of an armed guard's weapon and use it in a school massacre. Having any kind of weapon in schools even if it’s a security guards weapon is just a bad idea.
Lastly, turning teachers into security guards is also a terrible solution. Most teachers would do whatever it takes to defend kids, even if it means laying down their lives. The problem with giving teachers guns, is that it does the same thing as putting armed guards in schools, it puts guns in schools. Plus, teachers do not have the specialized training to deal with situations involving active shooter situations. In the CNN.com article “Teachers with guns is a crazy idea.” The author argues, “In moments of stress, typically the first thing to erode is our motor skills. So the argument that educators should be ready to dodge gunfire, avoid hitting students and take out a gunman” (Granderson). Expecting teachers to react properly in these situation is unrealistic.
Solving the problem of school violence isn’t as easy as just placing armed guards in schools, it involves getting to the "root" of the problem. To solve this problem, we need to tackle the issues that cause it like bullying and kids who grow up...