Arming Public School Teachers is Dangerous

MOST TEACHERS WOULD NOT BE ADEQUATELY SCREENED OR TRAINED TO USE FIREARMS IN A CRISIS

It is dangerous to assume that teachers, who would have less training and on-the-job experience than law enforcement, could stop an active shooter with a firearm. [1]

  • NC requires law enforcement personnel who carry guns to have 616 hours of basic training, 16-24 hours annual in-service training, and most agencies require additional field training. [2]
  • A 2008 study found that trained law enforcement officers in New York had relatively low (18-43%) accuracy rates during active shooter situations. [3] Another study analyzing reports from 2003-2017 at the Dallas PD calculated their officers’ hit rate was 35%. [4]
  • The May 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, TX showed that even 376 Texas law enforcement officers from federal, state and local agencies with body armor, shields, and various firearms, including assault rifles, were unable to stop an 18-year-old gunman from killing 19 students and 2 teachers. Several officers arrived within minutes after the gunman fired the first of his 142 rounds. [5]

RISK OF UNINTENTIONAL SHOOTINGS INCREASES

  • Giffords Law Center found nearly 100 publicly reported incidents of mishandled guns at schools between 2014 and 2022. Some of these include:
    • Teachers unintentionally firing guns and causing property damage and physical injury to students, teachers, and SROs
    • School personnel not securing guns, which were found and handled by students
    • Staff threatening to shoot students in response to misbehaviors. [6]
  • More guns in schools create risks that students and non-authorized personnel can gain access to these weapons, leading to more unintentional shootings.[7]

ARMED STAFF COMPLICATES LAW ENFORCEMENT’S RESPONSE TO A SHOOTING

During a crisis, law enforcement might not be able to tell the difference between an active shooter and an armed teacher.

  • Mass shooting analyses have shown communication errors, accidental shootings, delays in medical treatment of the injured, and a lack of coordination during active shooter incidents. [8] [9]
  • Richard Myers, Executive Director of the Major Cities Chiefs Association, said after discussing arming teachers with group members: “I’ve yet to hear a police chief think that’s a good idea,” because officers are trained to learn when to shoot and not to shoot, and teachers could become targets of police responding to a crisis. [10]

THE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH REQUIRING INITIAL AND ONGOING TRAINING FOR TEACHERS ARE ENORMOUS

Training costs would overwhelm our local school systems’ budgets without offering real protection for students and staff located in every building of every school.

  • A 2018 survey of Colorado superintendents and police officers showed one-time costs between $93,565 and $116,960, and annual/ongoing costs of $61,095 to $93,690 to arm ONE teacher per building for an average sized district with 12 schools. [11]
  • Costs of arming teachers include: 
  • Purchasing firearms, ammunition, biometric safes, firearm permits, bullet proof vests 
  • Increased school district liability insurance coverage (and the risk some carriers would not insure armed educators)
  • Payment to substitute teachers when armed educators are attending training 
  • Regular target practice at gun ranges and in active shooter scenario drills 
  • Background checks, drug testing, physical exams, and psychological screening exams. [12] [13]

EDUCATORS OPPOSE ARMING CLASSROOM TEACHERS

  • 78% North Carolina teachers surveyed thought allowing NC public school teachers to carry guns was a “bad idea” and 61% would feel “less safe”, according to a 2018 Elon poll. 74% of teachers would not carry a gun in the classroom. [14]
  • Knowing that any teacher might be armed changes the culture at the school, and the relationship between students and teachers. Consider the words of a Guilford County educator, Linda Gale Veneris: “I don’t know how you can establish trust and calm and a relationship with your students that way, if anybody could be carrying a concealed gun.” [15]
  • The American Federation of Teachers [16] and the National Education Association, [17] the nation’s two largest organizations of education professionals, oppose arming educators.

SUPPORT FOR ALTERNATIVE SAFETY METHODS HIGH AMONG EDUCATIONAL EMPLOYEES AND THE PUBLIC

  • Ensuring background checks on all gun sales (e.g., 99% of NC teachers [18]; 99% of Texas school employees [19])
  • Increased support for mental health funding (e.g., 92% of NC teachers [20]; 80% of public [21]). 
  • Banning sales of semiautomatic high-capacity rifles (e.g., Elon Poll: 77% of NC teachers; 83% of Texas American Federation of Teachers [23])
  • Raising minimum age for legal gun purchases to 21 (e.g., 96% of Texans [24])

[1] Downey M. In gunfights, trained officers have 18 percent hit rate. Yet, we want to arm teachers? 22 Feb 2022. https://www.ajc.com/blog/get-schooled/gunfights-trained-officers-have-percent-hit-rate-yet-want-arm-teachers/mDBlhDtV6Na4wJVpeu58cM/ The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  

[2] NC Department of Justice. Minimum Training Standards (12 NCAC 09B.0101): Deputy Sheriffs Basic Law Enforcement Training (NCAC2, 9B, 0400); Annual In-Service Training Requirements; Psychological Screening Requirement (12 NCAC 10B .0301). https://ncdoj.gov/law-enforcement-training/criminal-justice/officer-certification-programs/law-enforcement-certification-applicants/ 

[3] Rostker B, et al. Evaluation of the New York City police department firearm training and firearm-discharge review process. RAND Corporation. 2008. https://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/downloads/pdf/public_information/RAND_FirearmEvaluation.pdf 

[4] Donner CM, et al. Hitting (or missing) the mark: An examination of police shooting accuracy in officer-involved shooting incidents. Policing: An International Journal. 23 May 2019. https://daiglelawgroup.com/new-study-on-shooting-accuracy-how-does-your-agency-stack-up/ 

[5] Archie A, et al. These are the 4 key takeaways from the Uvalde shooting investigation report. NPR. 18 July 2022. https://www.npr.org/2022/07/18/1111940710/uvalde-texas-shooting-committee-report-arredondo-police 

[6] Giffords Law Center. Every incident of mishandled guns in schools. 22 July 2022. https://giffords.org/lawcenter/report/every-incident-of-mishandled-guns-in-schools/ 

[7]  Everytown Research. Arming teachers introduces new risks into schools. 1 May 2019. https://everytownresearch.org/report/arming-teachers-introduces-new-risks-into-schools/ 

[8]  Ibid.

[9] Schildkraut J. Arming teachers: Does the proposed policy miss the mark? Rockefeller Institute of Government, 2018. https://rockinst.org/blog/arming-teachers-does-the-proposed-policy-miss-the-mark/ 

[10] Toppo G. 132 hours to train teachers on guns: Is it enough? USA Today

[11] Weiler S, et al. Safety at schools: Identifying the Costs Associated with the Necessary Safeguards for Arming Teachers. The Rural Educator. 9 November 2018. https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/ruraleducator/vol39/iss1/5/ 

[12] McHugh C. Increased risks and costs of arming educators. United Educators. October 2020; https://www.ue.org/risk-management/enterprise-risk-management/increased-risks-and-costs-of-arming-educators/ 

[13] Weiler S, et al. Safety at schools. Identifying the costs associated with the necessary safeguards for arming teachers. The Rural Educator, 9 November 2018. https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/ruraleducator/vol39/iss1/5/ 

[14] Covington O. ELON POLL: N.C. teachers opposed to carrying guns in their classrooms. 8 March 2018. https://www.elon.edu/u/elon-poll/archive/2018-03-08/ 

[15] Killian J. Educators seethe at N.C. lawmakers’ plan to arm, deputize teachers. NC Policy Watch. 7 March 2019. https://ncpolicywatch.com/2019/03/07/educators-seethe-at-n-c-lawmakers-plan-to-arm-deputize-teachers/  

[16] Weingarten R. AFT President Randi Weingarten sends letter to Trump on guns and school safety, requests meeting. 2018. https://www.aft.org/our-community/its-time-end-gun-violence/aft-president-randi-weingarten-sends-letter-trump-guns-and 

[17] Maiers S. NEA rejects call to arm teachers in wake of school massacre in Uvalde, Texas. 25 May 2022. https://www.nea.org/about-nea/media-center/press-releases/nea-rejects-call-arm-teachers-wake-school-massacre-uvalde-texas 

[18] Covington O. ELON POLL: N.C. teachers opposed to carrying guns in their classrooms. 8 March 2018. https://www.elon.edu/u/elon-poll/archive/2018-03-08/

[19] Texas AFT, Respect Use/Expect Us. Survey. 8 June 2022. https://www.texasaft.org/hotline/june-19-2022-survey-77-oppose-arming-teachers-house-committee-hearing-on-trs-cola-take-the-kxan-safety-gun-survey/ 

[20] Covington O. ELON POLL: N.C. teachers opposed to carrying guns in their classrooms. 8 March 2018. https://www.elon.edu/u/elon-poll/archive/2018-03-08/

[21] PDK POLL: Public broadly supports School Security – but not armed teachers and staff. June 17-25, 2022. https://pdkpoll.org/2022-pdk-poll-results/

[22] Covington O. ELON POLL: N.C. teachers opposed to carrying guns in their classrooms. 8 March 2018. https://www.elon.edu/u/elon-poll/archive/2018-03-08/

[23] Texas AFT, Respect Use/Expect Us. Survey. 8 June 2022. https://www.texasaft.org/hotline/june-19-2022-survey-77-oppose-arming-teachers-house-committee-hearing-on-trs-cola-take-the-kxan-safety-gun-survey/

[24]  Ibid.