In light of the recent school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High school in Florida, protection of schools has been a frequent topic of discussion, and the prospect of arming teachers is often involved. In my personal opinion, I would not feel safe with armed teachers in the school. I would not feel safe being in a classroom with a gun in it, and I feel that bringing guns directly into a classroom would put students and teachers at risk. The thoughts of students finding the gun and firing, whether deliberately or by accident, is unsettling. Also, the possibility of a teacher having underlying mental health issues that could suddenly surface, such as in the case of teacher Amy Bishop, who after having sat at a meeting for 30 minutes, randomly stood up and opened fire. I would feel paranoid and on edge knowing guns were in the same room as me, and my classmates and friends.  I also do not think that school shootings would become less likely. Someone who plans on shooting up a school isn’t thinking rationally, and likely isn’t thinking of their own life either, as many kill themselves after they kill others. I feel that teachers having guns would not increase or decrease the amount of shootings, and that someone who walks into a school with an assault rifle will open fire regardless if they have a chance of being shot at or not.

Armed guards, as opposed to teachers, I am not 100% against. Guards who are not actively in the classroom and who are standing guard near entrances/throughout the building having a handgun would make it harder for someone to easily pull out a weapon like an assault rifle and get very far. People whose entire job is based off of protection of the school and students, I feel, would be less likely to accidentally hurt someone. What would make me feel safer would be tighter restrictions on guns, and who can own them. I feel like classes regarding gun ownership and safety should be taken for a certain number of hours, as well as a test that if one doesn’t pass, should not be qualified to own a gun. I think that the purchase of assault rifles, such as AR-15’s as used in the Florida shooting, should be illegal entirely. Education about mental illness should be focused on more in schools as well. I would also like young peoples voices to stop being silenced. As students protested the Vietnam War, the students of today are protesting the violence enacted upon our schools, and we are not being listened to. Students have a voice and we can no longer whisper words of sorrow and prayer, we need to yell and argue and use action. Something else that would make me feel safer would be people, both the general public and the government, addressing the roots of the problem. There have been roughly 291 school shootings in the United States and there is trend shared between most of them. Studies have shown that 79% of school shooters are white, and 97% are male. Between 1982 and 2018, 94 school shootings have been done by men, 2 by women and 1 by both. This is not a solely gun issue, and I wish more people would acknowledge it. Feelings of privilege and an anger that grows and shows itself in irrational acts such as this, in men and specifically white men, continue to happen while the public turns the other way and ignores it. I feel that more awareness about the issue of privileged groups expressing their rage in ways such as this should come about. Boys from a young age are allowed, expected and encouraged to express anger through acts of violence, the mindset of “boys will be boys” sets young boys up to an attitude of entitlement, believing that their behavior is acceptable and normal.

White children, like myself, grow up in a racist society, which inherently places ideas of institutionalized racism and entitlement within us that take time to unlearn and realize. What should be addressed, for the safety of schools and in general, is that these things have to stop. Toxic mindsets are holding society back, and placing people, especially people of color, women, disabled people, and lgbt individuals, at risk. Society must try and break away from these traditions of allowing these mindsets and behaviors, if there is any desire to stop the issue before it starts. Awareness and a desire to change would make me feel safer everywhere I go, including the place I should always feel safe; school.