After numerous school shootings, a significant amount of gun control laws have been passed through the Florida Legislature, along with the proposition that classroom teachers should be armed.  

After refusing to listen to our voice, the voice of the people, Florida school boards, local police departments, teachers, parents, students, the Florida Legislature has pushed it even further, putting a Senate bill up for vote, which would allow trained teachers to carry guns during school. After agreeing to remove the controversial act, lawmakers have brought it back, even though no evidence has been found that arming teachers would make life-or-death situations any safe. After repeatedly telling legislators that we don’t want our school teachers to be armed, they continue to ignore us as if the voices of the people are inconsiderable.  

The Associated Press revealed last year that more than 30 publicly reported accidents since 2014 involving firearms brought onto school grounds by law enforcement officers or educators. Guns were left unguarded, went off by mistake, or were fired by students. Those aren’t the only problems, law enforcement officers that undergo training wouldn’t be able to identify the shooter and respond accordingly.  

There’s also sufficient evidence that teachers with guns can be outright threatening. Last week, Giffords, the gun-violence prevention organization led by former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, constructed an investigation of more than 60 incidents of mishandled guns at schools across the nation, nine of which were in Florida. The article “Arming Teachers Is a Terrible Idea” in Giffords, says that “82% of teachers polled in March 2018 said they wouldn’t carry a gun to school, including 63% of teachers who own guns.” To quote the American Federation of Teachers, arming teachers “not only would make our children’s classrooms less safe but also is not what educators and students want.”  

While the incidents don’t entirely reflect the nature of the classrooms maintained by dedicated teachers, some of the state’s top educators say that even well-meaning teachers could wrongly use a gun if armed. 

The president of the statewide teacher’s union, Fed Ingram says: “I don’t want any of my children’s teachers having guns because I don’t want them to be placed in a situation to make a mistake.”  

Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords says that “teachers do many things. They lead, they inspire, they encourage, and they help children discover their passions. Teachers are not bodyguards. . .  Arming teachers is not a solution. It recklessly puts American children in even more danger.”