Dear Department of Education,
As a child in high school, I have to worry every single day when is it going to be my school, hearing gunshots echo through the walls of the building from a person committing a mass shooting. Schools are severely under resourced regarding security measures. Arming faculty members who meet qualifications will increase safety in these soft target environments and directly address the unstable youth that are commonly committing these heinous crimes.
Every school is a soft target no matter where it is. Schools are identified and labeled as “gun-free zones.” Gun-free zones are supposed to reduce violent crimes, suicides, unintentional firearm injuries and mass shootings. In theory gun-free zones are supposed to eliminate the number of firearms on the campus but that also raises opportunities for active shooters.
“Gun-free zones could serve as more -attractive targets to violent criminals or mass shooters because the perpetrators will be less likely to encounter armed resistance” (Gun policy in America).
Statistics show that most mass shootings occur in gun-free zones.
According to USCCA “From 1988 through August of 2019, more then 85 percent of mass public schooling have occurred in gun-free zones.”
Most Schools have zero security. Most of the time no police or school resource officers are present while school is in session. The doors are unlocked for the public to walk in at any time and there are so many doors that are not controlled, and students could be letting anyone in at any time. In many big cities or very populated cities there are metal detectors when you walk in certain doors, but not at all the doors, but in smaller less populated cities there is nothing.
Many high schools are open campuses that pose a large security risk because anyone could enter school property without having their ID’s checked and being scanned for weapons.
Anyone could walk in the building past every staff member with a handgun in their backpack.
Public schools are home to thousands of unstable youth. They are mass population centers where children spend their first 12 years of school. For the amount of youth these schools have in attendance, there is not enough trained adults with firearms to defend thousands of children.
The number of school shootings is rising every year simply because there is no security and not enough armed bodies throughout the school to stop the shooter before many youths and adults get killed or seriously injured.
After a faculty member goes through the local or state procedures to obtain a concealed carry permit, they will have to go through an annual psychological evaluation by the school district to continue being able to carry a firearm at school. They will then go through school district training that is designed specifically to defend against school shootings.
Arming faculty that want to be armed and meet the qualifications to carry a weapon would increase security of the school.
With great concern Makayla Trippel
