There have already been 5 mass shooting in 2019. All of these happened between January 1st to January 4th. In these 5 shootings, 19 people were injured and 7 people were killed. This brings up an important topic, which is that of gun control and armed teachers. According to www.dw.com, “Gun control is one of the most divisive issues in American politics.”

School shootings have been happening all over the world, and have been affecting many lives of students and families. These shootings have been happening one after another with very little time difference. One example of the many shootings that have been going on, is the one that happened in Parkland, Florida which occurred at Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14th, 2018.

This shooting took the life of 17 students and teachers, and it was caused by 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz. Some believe that armed teachers could stop shootings like these, and others don’t disagree.

Timothy Smedley, a social studies teacher at Unis Middle School gives his opinion about teachers carrying firearms. He states, “It should never ever be done. This is a school, not a jail there will be no difference if teachers hold guns or not. We want our students to feel as safe as possible and us holding firearms will make them think they are in danger.”

Mr. Smedley is only one, of the many people that believe guns would make no difference in school shootings.

As many people still disagree with the fact that teachers should not be able to hold a gun in their school, the commands of people and the protest have made it clear that they want otherwise. These protests have even got some of the country leaders following them in what they say in protests and leading them on with their decisions and giving them more power.

According to www.nytimes.com “President Trump amplified calls to train and arm educators, roiling the teaching profession and infuriating gun control advocates”.  The president has come to the conclusion that arming teachers is the solution to these school shooting and that every other solution is out of the picture.

Ms. Daniels, a language arts teacher at Unis Middle School, states what she thinks of the topic. “I don’t think teachers should be armed in school, I think that poses just as many risks as not being armed because not all teachers would take full responsibility of what it means to be armed in school.” This means that not only do people believe that it’s not right for teachers to be armed, but they also believe that it is dangerous.

Students in school do not like the idea of their teachers having firearms, and not even the teachers want that kind of authority over their students. There is a reason for this common opinion-it’s just not right.

Ahmad Seif, an 8th grader at Unis Middle School, states his opinion on teachers holding firearms in school. He says, “If my teachers were armed I would feel very uncomfortable because anyone can snap at any second.”

There are many things that are going on in today’s society that have made a huge impact on us, and our community. People all over the world are standing up for what’s right. More importantly, they are standing up for what they believe.

Writer: Madina Berro

Co-Writer: Ali Mourtada