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Elizabeth Barry
Ms. Calderon
February 25, 2016
Language Arts 5th Hour

Death by Teacher
Youve heard of school shootings, theyre pretty big deals. What you probably didnt
know is in some schools, teachers actually carry guns! But if teachers are armed, are they
teachers, or security guards? Guns should not be used by school officials during school because
it scares the students, guns can accidentally discharge, students are told to use their words, and
students will have a harder time trusting the teachers.

Children these days are told to use to their words instead of using violence; but if a
teacher was violent, wouldnt the students think its a good idea? For example, if a child were to
hurt another, the adult would tell them to talk things out instead of hurting others. However, if a
teacher were to carry a gun, students would assume its okay to use violence instead of words. As
a result, the students will grow up thinking violence is good and become more and more
destructive. Eventually, this will most likely result in criminal activity and they may end up in
jail.

Not only would this proposal increase violence, but children would be scared, especially
the younger ones. Also, if a student didnt know if their teacher was carrying a weapon or not,
students might not want to go to school. This means students might skip school and can lead to

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lowering the amount of money the school gets. In addition, students will be distracted in class
wondering about what would happen if the teacher used the gun or if they have a gun.
Eventually, these students will start to do worse in their classes and get low grades resulting in
the possibility of them not going to college.

Some people say its for safety, more students and staff will live if there are armed
teachers. This is where theyre wrong, to me, more people would die if teachers carry weapons.
For instance, in Utah, there was an armed sixth grade teacher who was going through her day
when her gun accidentally fired. No students were harmed, but she suffered injuries to her left
calf. Theoretically, the more teachers with gun there are, the more accidents would happen and
most likely injure or kill a student.

When a student is unsure whether or not there is someone nearby with a loaded weapon,
this will make it harder for them to trust. Furthermore, not being able to trust teachers will also
make it so they cant trust other people, damaging relationships. Another example is, Jeffery
Daniels, department chairman of psychology and counseling at West Virginia University, says
The best way to prevent violence in schools was to create a trusting relationship among
students. Students are not able to trust any teachers if they think they are carrying a loaded
weapon on them.

Thus, guns are not a good idea when it comes to being at school. Some guns may
accidentally shoot, students wont trust teachers, guns would scare younger students, and they

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would think its okay to be violent. Think about it, do you want your child in the hands of
someone you barely know who carries a weapon?

Works Cited
(begins on a new page)
"Pass or Fail: Armed Teachers, Intruder Training Options for Security at Midstate Schools." The
Sentinel. N.p., 28 Sept. 2014. Web.
Moore, Russ. "No, Teachers Should Not Carry Guns." Education Week. N.p., 28 Oct. 2014. Web.
25 Feb. 2016.
Corbett, Ken. "Arming Teachers: Three Reasons Why Teachers Should Not Carry Guns In
School." Huffington Post. N.p., 10 Apr. 2013. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.
Dobner, Jennifer. "Utah Teacher Who Shot Elementary School Toilet Pleads No Contest." The
Salt Lake Tribune. N.p., 5 Nov. 2014. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.