In response to the increasing threats posed by gun violence in schools, President Donald Trump has suggested that arming teachers would make schools safer. Teachers at McClatchy, however, seem to disagree.
The potential problems that could arise from having weapons on campus are on many teachers’ minds. Mrs. Oram, a Math teacher, said she was “on the fence” about the proposal. She said that “having a gun available is basically the best way to stop the intruder,” but also expressed concern over what might happen if a student were to get their hands on a teacher’s weapon.
When asked about the proposal to arm teachers, Mr. Limonoff, a history teacher, said that arming teachers “could lead to a number of unforeseen consequences” and that it “could further complicate finding a solution” to the issue of gun violence.
Mr. Gatten, an English teacher, said “I’m against the proposal because it ignores the root of the problem, which is military-type weapons in the hands of civilians.” Gatten added that “I don’t think it would be a deterrent [to attackers], especially if somebody was out of their mind, or angry, or suicidal.”
Mr. Warren, a Biology teacher, said that “if they [armed teachers], it would create more problems than it would solve.”
Frau Templeton, a German teacher, said “I don’t feel comfortable with weapons. I’m not trained for it, and I’m not comfortable with having more weapons on campus.”
Mr. Perry, an English teacher, said the proposal “is trying to provide an easy solution to a complicated problem to avoid dealing with the larger issues involved”, adding that it “will likely only create more problems.”
Mr. Kwong, a math teacher, said “a bad accident is gonna happen in the long run, if there are more guns on campus.”
Mr. Ho, a Physics teacher, jokingly said “Why doesn’t the president take it a step further? Why doesn’t he turn teachers into cybernetic … you know, robots. When the president is comfortable with lopping off my arm and adding a futuristic laser cutter on my right and a flamethrower on my left, then we can talk.”
The national debate over gun violence will go on, but if McClatchy’s teachers are any indication, teachers will not respond positively if the government does decide to arm them.