Two states aim to arm teachers despite opposition from educators and experts

Two state legislatures are considering measures that would permit teachers and other school staff to carry arms in the aftermath of the Texas elementary school

Two state legislatures are considering measures that would permit teachers and other school staff to carry arms in the aftermath of the Texas elementary school shooting that killed 19 children last month, despite opposition from gun safety advocates, teachers’ groups and school security experts. 

While the idea isn’t new — many Republican-controlled legislatures considered similar legislation after the 2018 Parkland, Florida, shooting — it is a growing talking point as the country has witnessed a number of mass killings in the past few weeks. Two states, Ohio and Louisiana, are now considering either decreasing the requirements to arm school staff or permitting employees to carry a firearm after fulfilling the required training.  

It’s a popular talking point in conservative circles. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, said in an interview on Fox News on the day of the Uvalde school shooting that the state, which already allows teachers to be armed, should go further to ensure school employees have firearms. 

Seth Garza pays his respects Tuesday with Lilly, his daughter, at a memorial dedicated to the 19 children and two adults who were killed at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.Brandon Bell / Getty Images“We can’t stop bad people from doing bad things,” he said. “We can potentially arm and prepare and train teachers and other administrators to respond quickly because the reality is that we don’t have the resources to have law enforcement at every school.”

At least 28 states, including Texas, currently allow teachers or school staff to be armed in the classroom under varying conditions, according to a 2020 RAND Corporation study. It is unclear how effective that has been at undermining a school shooting threat and critics note research that shows that adding firearms to a situation only increases the risk of gun violence. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/two-states-aim-arm-teachers-opposition-educators-experts-rcna31731


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