Why Guns In The Hands of Teachers Is Never The Answer

By Jackie Bueno

Putting guns in the hands of teachers is not and should never be the answer.

One of the recent comments President Trump made in response to the Parkland shooting was to put guns in teachers’ hands. This idea is problematic for many reasons.

The main reasons being that it perpetuates a culture further rooted in violence, instead of one in trust, and it does not solve existing issues of militarization already present on high school and elementary schools.

As The Atlantic points out, it also violates the Second Amendment:

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

The Second Amendment was written to protect the security of the state and its army. Last time I checked, teachers are not part of the army, even though they represent an institution most people associate with the state, such as the school.

What’s even more frightening is that members of the NRA echo Trump’s sentiments of arming teachers and also Betsy Devos.

My biggest issue with putting guns in the hands of teachers is that it is insensitive to the school-to-prison pipeline dilemma and also does not address the bigger issue, which is creating policies that end gun violence.

I was lucky enough to go to an elementary and middle school that was free from any kind of militarization on campus, however I have friends where this was not the case. They told me they were vehemently against having police enforcement on campus because it fostered a culture of unwanted surveillance and mistrust. They also acknowledged having police surveillance on school campuses further perpetuates racial profiling, which again not only perpetuates mistrust but promotes the acceptance of racist practices.

Statistics also support the fact we must end gun violence, not give people a means to enforce it. For example, 7 children and teens, ages 0 to 19, die each day from gun violence. On average, 96 people die each die from gun violence.

Finally, I must ask: President Trump, How many more children have to die in order for you to understand that more violence is never the answer in response to violence that occurred in the first place?

If you'd like to show your support to end gun violence, sign this petition here.

Jackie Bueno is a senior at UC Berkeley. If you have further questions or would like to be featured, please email her at jacquelinebueno@berkeley.edu.