The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting on February 14th, 2018 was an event that shook the nation. The deranged shooter, Nikolas Cruz, killed seventeen people, and the victims’ families have been subjugated to feelings of guilt and anger.

A week later, President Trump called for teachers to be allowed to carry concealed weapons on campus, reigniting the long-standing controversy of U.S gun control.

Many people started to ask the question  of whether teachers should be armed on school grounds. Arming teachers with concealed weapons could deter potential school shooters. Concealed carry laws in the United States help to reduce violent crimes. According to the Crime Prevention Center, murder rates have fallen from 5.6 killings per 100,000 people to just 4.2, about a 25% drop.

Also, in an article that the CATO institute published, 31 states have “shall issue laws” allowing private citizens to carry concealed weapons. These states have, on average, a 24 percent lower crime rate, a 19 percent lower murder rate and a 39 percent lower robbery rate than states that forbid concealed carry.

As of 2016, 41 states have adopted concealed carry laws that require an individual to meet specific criteria in order to carry a concealed weapon (shall-issue) or are non-restricted. Non-restricted gun laws allow any individual to carry a concealed weapon.

The majority of states have enacted “shall-issue” concealed carry laws, and these laws have led to a decrease in violent crimes. Because states that allow individuals to carry a concealed weapon have seen a decrease in crime rates, it is possible a similar situation will occur in schools.

If we were to arm teachers, we would have regulations to properly train them.

Prior to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting, some states already passed legislation that allows teachers to carry concealed firearms. For example, in Texas, 172 school districts out of the 1,023 districts statewide have a policy that allows staff to carry firearms. According to “Guns in school: It’s not just an idea. Here’s how some states are already doing it”, an article published by USA Today, Texas schools that participate in this policy receive funding in order to cover ammunition for practice and annual training. The new Florida bill regarding gun control would fund a training program for school staff, excluding those with a full-time role in teaching, who wish to carry a concealed weapon on school grounds. This program is a step in the right direction. The bill raises the minimum age to buy a weapon and outlaws the sale of bump stocks (gunstocks specially designed to allow semi-automatic weapons to fire bullets in rapid sucession).

There have been about 14 school shootings in the nine weeks of 2018 which averages out to about 1.5 shootings a week. The United States is entering a time where mass shootings are becoming more and more frequent, so there needs to be people on campus grounds who can help to limit the number of casualties during the next school shooting. The arming of teachers and other school staff are one of the many steps the U.S. needs to take to prevent school shootings. None of the students who attend our schools should feel the pressure of being killed in their own classrooms.