Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is considering whether states will be allowed to use federal grant money to buy firearms for schools, which would also include arming teachers. Texas and Oklahoma have been quite vocal on the issue, urging Secretary DeVos to allow this to happen.
Democrats, like House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, quickly attacked DeVos stating that “If implemented, the Trump administration’s unprecedented plan to ransack mental health and anti-bullying funding to pay for the arming of teachers would be one of the most egregious, short-sighted and dangerous executive branch abuses of our education system in modern history.” Democrats are so scared of this becoming a reality that Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., introduced what he called “emergency legislation” that would block the arming of teachers. Murphy said, “More kids will be killed in schools if this policy is put in place — plain and simple. That’s why Congress must block its implementation.”
On the flip side, gun-friendly states such as Texas and Oklahoma are actively pushing for this. In May, Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, published a 43-page school safety action plan, which promoted the use of federal funding to arm teachers. Chairman of the Senate education committee Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said, “I’m not a fan of arming teachers, but the safe schools block grant for many years has allowed states to make the decision about how to use those federal dollars to make schools safer for children.”
The Department of Education has never funded gun purchases. In spite of this, it’s DeVos’ duty to issue a statement one way or another, and if she chooses to allow federal funding for arming teachers, she would have the full support of President Trump.
Some places, like Lee County in Virginia, have already decided to arm school employees due to the cost-effectiveness of the plan. “It’s a cheap way to add security to our schools and the best option we could do.” Board Chairman Michael Kidwell of Lee County believes that arming teachers is cheaper than hiring armed security and that he favors using grant money for firearms.
Virginia isn’t the only state that allows teachers to arm themselves. More than a dozen states allow school systems to determine whether teachers can be armed. One may think that school systems are forcing teachers to arm themselves, or the notion of teachers carrying firearms is an unpopular trend. The data suggest otherwise. Earlier this year in Ohio, hundreds of teachers signed up for concealed carry classes so that they could carry guns at school.
With almost 98 percent of mass shootings occurring in gun-free zones, it’s no surprise that more teachers continuously push for their Second Amendment rights while on the job. Out of the thousands of teachers carrying firearms in schools, there are no known instances where a teacher had their firearm stolen from them. Additionally, there are only seven known instances of accidental discharges, all non-fatal. Three instances include accidentally shooting a toilet and floor; three instances include the owner accidentally shooting themselves, and one instance of a teacher shooting themselves and a colleague, resulting in minimal lacerations. While fans of gun control suggest that teachers would get angry and shoot their students, or have their firearms stolen, these seven rare instances suggest those possibilities are absurd.
Since the tragic Parkland shooting, 13 school districts now allow teachers to carry a firearm while on the job. Had it not been for the cowardly security guard who fled the scene during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school massacre, maybe some of the slain students would still be alive today.
That’s why teachers who carry firearms while on the job have two responsibilities: Be well trained, and ready to defend the lives of their students.
Tyler Yzaguirre (@realtyleryz) is the founder and president of the Second Amendment Institute.
