Teachers Debate Carrying Guns to Protect Students in US Schools

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The recent mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, has brought new attention to the issue of how to keep children in American schools safe.

The attack by a teenaged gunman on May 24 killed 19 students and two teachers. Many details remain unclear.

Many measures have been proposed to prevent gun violence at schools in America. Democratic Party lawmakers have called for banning some kinds of guns, increased security investigations¹ of gun buyers and other measures. Republican Party lawmakers have supported increased security for schools including permitting volunteer teachers to carry weapons.

Many years ago, Wayne LaPierre, the head of the National Rifle Association, a gun rights group, spoke² in support of more guns. He said: "the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun."

Many teachers, however, do not support the idea of being armed. A 2018 opinion study by the Gallup organization found that 73 percent of American teachers did not want to carry guns in school.

A.J. Allegra has been a public school teacher in the city of New Orleans for 15 years. He said: "Children, teachers and education belong in schools — not guns. Imagine your oldest teacher when you were in school firing a gun several times within feet of 25 kids. The image is as preposterous³ as the idea."

Jenna Whitesell Carson has worked at a public high school in South Carolina for four years. She said she was appalled⁵ by the idea of arming teachers to prevent future school shootings.

"My first thought was that this is not at all what I signed up for," Carson told VOA. "I became a school librarian to educate young minds, not to carry a gun."

She added: "My second thought was that they definitely don't pay us enough for this."

Some teachers see the issue differently.

Jason Winder is a history teacher who carries a legal, concealed⁷ firearm, or gun, at school.

He said: "It's not about seeking out an active shooter. It's about giving me the best tools to keep my students and myself safe. I can't speak for everyone, but a firearm in my hand will be a lot more effective at stopping someone trying to harm my kids than us hiding in a corner."

Some teachers say attention should be placed on other answers. They call for better mental health care and keeping school buildings safe.

Many schools already have armed workers, known as resource officers. This was the case in the Parkland, Florida shooting in 2018 in which the officer failed to prevent the attack.

"The resource officer is the first line of defense," said Keith Mott. He is an officer of the Los Angeles Police Department. Mott said: "Teachers, on the other hand, have enough to do just trying to educate our children. That's their goal, and there's no reason they should be armed..."

Teachers do not agree on the answers, but most share a goal.

Angelica Garcia teaches English to children who do not speak it as their first language (ESL) at schools in Saginaw County, Michigan.

"The goal is to make sure our children feel safe, but also to ensure they are safe," said Garcia. "At the end of the day, we all just want to go home to our families, for our families to come home to us, and for us all to live to see another day," she added.

Words in This Story

librarian – n. a person who works in a library

appall⁴ – v. to cause (someone) to feel fear, shock, or disgust

preposterous – adj. very foolish or silly

conceal⁶ – v. to hide (something or someone) from sight

ensure – v. to make (something) sure, certain, or safe

1 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 preposterous   

adj.荒谬的，可笑的

参考例句：

• The whole idea was preposterous.整个想法都荒唐透顶。
• It would be preposterous to shovel coal with a teaspoon.用茶匙铲煤是荒谬的。

4 appall   

vt.使惊骇，使大吃一惊

参考例句：

• They were appalled by the reports of the nuclear war.他们被核战争的报道吓坏了。
• The enemy was appalled at our attack.敌人被我们的进攻吓得魂飞丧胆。

5 appalled   

v.使惊骇，使充满恐惧( appall的过去式和过去分词)adj.惊骇的；丧胆的

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• They were appalled by the reports of the nuclear war. 他们被核战争的报道吓坏了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 conceal   

v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽

参考例句：

• He had to conceal his identity to escape the police.为了躲避警方，他只好隐瞒身份。
• He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure.他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。

7 concealed   

a.隐藏的，隐蔽的

参考例句：

• The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of plaster. 那些画被隐藏在厚厚的灰泥层下面。
• I think he had a gun concealed about his person. 我认为他当时身上藏有一支枪。