Guns in schools, armed security guards in schools, police in schools or another solution? From Los Angeles to New York, the NRA believes every campus in America should have armed guards. Anti gun lobbiests think we should ban nearly every kind of firearm in the hope that the bad guys won’t be able to get them.
Having studied the varying opinions and developing my own, here is break down by pros and cons.
Guns in Schools Pros:
-Teachers, administrators and school staff trained and tasked with carrying concealed weapons on campus can respond much faster than police and other first responders.
-Criminals unanimously commit crime with several guiding principles: They don’t start unless there is a chance they can finish. They don’t want to get hurt (until they accomplish their goals). They don’t want to get in trouble for their crime. Arming staff reduces their chances of success significantly.
-Police, armed security guards and a small percentage of armed staff can be a great deterrent against undirected violence.
Guns in Schools Cons:
-Schools need to be considered a safe, secure, and peaceful environment for learning. Placing police and armed staff on campus could make students feel uncomfortable.
-Unless staff carrying weapons are selected properly, they may be more of a problem than a solution by not handling a situation properly.
-Guns may be accessed by students even with safeguards.
-Amed guards in schools can be a visible target and may be minimally trained to state standards.
-Police and armed security may be cost prohibitive.
What is the answer to whether or not we sound have guns in schools including armed security guards, arming teachers and administrators or staff. Each school and each district including public and private elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools have to evaluate their needs independently and make the choice on their own.
Jeff Zisner, Certified Protection Professional, is the President & CEO of AEGIS Security & Investigations Inc in Los Angeles, California. AEGIS’ mission is to meet and exceed or clients’ security, investigation, training and consulting expectations.
