Mass shootings trigger debate whether teachers be allowed to carry guns in America?
The recent spike in such cases has spurred cries for action. Some are even debating whether authorities should allow teachers to carry arms
The recent spike in such cases has spurred cries for action. Some are even debating whether authorities should allow teachers to carry arms
In the United States, an increase in gun violence and mass killings has sparked renewed calls for reform of the nation's gun laws. Although gun attacks have become a common thing, but a recent mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas shocked the nation. The shooting at the school killed 21 people, including small children. The recent spike in such cases has spurred cries for action. Some are even debating whether authorities should allow teachers to carry arms. The idea of permitting teachers and other school staff to carry guns is not entirely new. A US media report suggested that after the 2018 Parkland shooting, many Republican-controlled legislatures considered a similar move. Now, the debate has reignited.
The Texas shooting is said to be the worst shooting at an elementary school since the 2012 Sandy Hook attack in Connecticut. At that time, 20 children and six staff were killed.
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In a recent report by NBC News, it was mentioned that two states in the United States - Ohio and Louisiana - are now considering two options in the aftermath of brutal shootings. The reports noted that the states are mulling over either decreasing the requirements to arm school staff or permitting employees to carry a firearm but only after fulfilling the required training. But should this be allowed?
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, said in an interview on Fox News on the day of the Uvalde school shooting: "We can't stop bad people from doing bad things."
He said that we can potentially "arm and prepare and train" teachers and other administrators to respond quickly. He said, "The reality is that we don't have the resources to have law enforcement at every school."
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Jenna Whitesell Carson told VOA: "My first thought was that this is not at all what I signed up for. I became a school librarian to educate young minds, not to carry a gun." The report revealed that Carson has worked at a public high school in rural South Carolina for four years.
She added, "My second thought was that they definitely don't pay us enough for this. Teachers have so much on our plates already. Now Republicans want to take away our right to not carry a gun?"
US President Joe Biden last week called for new gun-control legislation. On Sunday he renewed his call for restrictions on semi-automatic rifles. "If we can't ban assault weapons as we should, we must at least raise the age to buy assault weapons to 21," he tweeted.
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