Essay Teachers and Weapons in School

calls of anguish. cryings of sorrow. heartbreaking torment ; the state bore informant to all of these and more as the first respondents struggled to do sense of the scene that unfolded at Sandy Hook Elementary School on that fatal twenty-four hours of December 14th. 2012 in Newtown. Connecticut ( Ardillas. 2012 ) . Many households had their Black Marias torn apart during the violent disorder of that lone gunslinger as he unleashed his fury on instructors and immature pupils who were merely get downing their life’s journey.

Amidst the agony and the grieving for the departed. the inquiry was one time once more raised: Should the instructors charged with protecting our kids be equipped with arms to let them to make so in a scene of horror such as this? But I don’t believe the inquiries should stop at that place. More significantly. would build uping instructors be safe for the kids and the instructors? Are at that place other options that may be more appropriate that should be considered?

Leting instructors to transport arms could travel a long manner towards doing our schools more secure. but realistically non-lethal arms would be the safer. more manageable solution in doing our schools the oasis the community deserves them to be. The calamity at Sandy Hook Elementary. though undeniably one of the most awful of its sort and flatly the most recent of such magnitude. is preceded by legion similar incidents throughout the United States over the old ages recorded as far back as 1927.

On May 18th of this twelvemonth. a husbandman named Andrew Kehoe set off two detonations at Bath Consolidated Schoolhouse in Bath. Michigan. killing himself.

six grownups and 38 kids. In Houston. Texas on September 15th. 1959. inmate Paul Orgeron exploded a bag of dynamite on a resort area at Edgar Allen Poe Elementary killing himself. two grownups and three kids. On October 5th. 1966. 15-year-old David Black injured another pupil before killing instructor. Forrest Willey. at Grand Rapids High School in Grand Rapids. Michigan.

On November 12th. 1966. in Mesa. Arizona. 18-year-old pupil. Robert Smith. killed five people at a local beauty college. In Olean. New York. at Olean High School on December 30th. 1974. awards pupil Anthony Barbaro killed a school janitor and two guiltless bystanders and so killed himself while expecting test. 16-year-old Stephen Goods was hit and killed by a isolated slug fired during a battle between two classmates on March 18th. 1975. at Sumner High School in St. Louis. Missouri. In 1978 on February 22nd. 15-year-old Roger Needham killed another pupil who had bullied him at Everett High School in Lansing. Michigan.

During category on May 18th. 1978. at Murchison Junior High School in Austin. Texas. 13-year-old John Christian shooting and killed his English instructor Wilbur Grayson. In San Diego. California. on January 29th. 1979. at Grover Cleveland Elementary. 16-year-old Brenda Spencer opened fire on a school across from her place. killing the principal and janitor. ( CNN U. S. . 2012 ) In the 80’s. violent episodes in schools increased to about one incident per twelvemonth get downing with 17-year-old Pat Lizzotte shot and killing her instructor Clarence Piggott during category at Valley High School in Las Vegas. Nevada. on March 19th. 1982.

On January 20th. 1983. an nameless pupil shooting and killed another pupil before turning

the gun on himself. On February 24th. 1984. at 49th Street School in Los Angeles. California. sniper Tyrone Mitchell began firing on kids on the resort area. killing one. wounding 11 and subsequently taking his ain life. In Goddard. Kansas. at Goddard Junior High on January 21st. 1985. 14-year-old James Kearbey shooting and killed Principal Jim McGee.

David and Doris Young. a twosome in their 40’s. took over Cokeville Elementary School with a bomb. keeping 150 kids and grownups surety and demanding $ 300 million in ransom in Cokeville. Washington. on May 16th. 1986. The bomb by chance detonated doing a fire during which 74 people were injured and David Young shot his married woman and so himself. The same twelvemonth on December 6th. 14-year-old Kristofer Hans shooting and killed his replacement instructor. Henrietta Smith. at Fergus High School in Lewistown. Montana.

In Dekalb. Missouri. at Dekalb High School on March 2nd. 1987. 12-year-old Nathan Faris shot 13-year-old Timothy Perrin and so took his ain life. February 11th. 1988. Pinellas Park High School. Largo. Florida ; two 15-year-olds with stolen arms. Jason McCoy and Jason Harless. shooting and killed Asst. Principal Richard Allen. At Hubbard Woods Elementary School in Winnetka. Illinois. on May 20th. 1988. 30-year-old Laurie Dann killed an 8-year-old male child and injured six other people before taking her ain life.

Copying the Winnetka. Illinois slaying. 19-year-old James Wilson killed 8-year-olds Tequila Thomas and Shequila Bradley in the school cafeteria of Oakland Elementary School in Greenwood. South Carolina on September 26th. 1988. The worst twelvemonth for school violent deaths yet. 1988 comes to a stopping point with the 4th incident on December 16th at Atlantic Shores

Christian School in Virginia Beach. Virginia. during which 16-year-old Nicholas Elliott shooting and killed teacher Karen Farley.

Reasoning the decade’s force. a brief month subsequently on January 17th. 1989. 24-year-old vagrant Patrick Purdy used an AK-47 to kill five kids on a resort area at Cleveland Elementary School in Stockton. California before killing himself. ( CNN U. S. . 2012 ) The impulse from the latter portion of the 80’s decennary did non lose speed as the 90’s moved frontward with a manifold of violent incidents every twelvemonth wining the first episode on November 25th. 1991 at Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn. New York. when 14-year-old Jason.

Bently shot a gun during an statement with two other teens. the isolated slug killing a 16-year-old pupil who was non even involved in the affray. Thomas Jefferson High School was revisited by the illness on February 26th. 1992. as 15-year-old Kahlil Sumpter shooting and killed two other pupils. On May 1st. 1992. at Lindhurst High School in Olivehurst. California. 20-year-old dropout Eric Houston returned to school to kill a former instructor and three pupils. Without bustle. 1993 started off with a knock on January 18th when 17-year-old Scott Pennington shooting and killed a instructor and a keeper at East Carter High School in Grayson. Kentucky.

Three months subsequently on April 12th. 16-year-old Jason Robinson was stabbed to decease in his Social Studies category by three teenage aggressors at Dartmouth High School in Dartmouth. Massachusetts. Merely 3 yearss had passed when. on April 15th. 44-year-old David Taber invaded Ford Middle School in Acushnet. Massachusetts. taking three sureties and subsequently killing school nurse Carol Day. Pennsburg. Pennsylvania suffered a visit from

the animal on May 24th. 1993. as 15-year-old Jason Smith. a pupil of Upper Perkiomen High School. killed another pupil who had bullied him.

The 5th assault of 1993 ensued on December 21st at Wauwatosa West High School in Wauwatosa. Wisconsin when 21-year-old former pupil Leonard McDowell returned to his high school killing Asst. Principal Dale Breitlow. February 1994 did non get down off good at Valley View Jr. High School in Simi Valley. California ; on the 1st twenty-four hours of the month. 13-year-old Philip Hernandez stabbed a 14-year-old pupil to decease in the hallway. April 12th of the same twelvemonth was no better in Butte. Montana. when 10-year-old Jason Osmanson shooting and killed an 11-year-old schoolmate on the resort area.

The baleful cloud passed over Wickliffe Middle School in Wickliffe. Ohio. on November 7th. 1994. as 37-year-old vagrant Keith Ledeger shooting and killed school custodian Peter Christopher and injured three others. On October 12th. 1995. at Blackville-Hilda High School of Blackville. South Carolina. 15-year-old Toby Sincino killed a instructor and so himself. The 15th of November. 1995. 17-year-old Jaime Rouse killed a concern instructor and a 16-year-old pupil at Richland High School in Lynnville. Tennessee.

At Winston Education Center in Washington. DC. 14-year-old Damion Blocker encountered two cloaked gunslingers in the stairwell where he was shot and killed by 16-year-old Darrick Evans on January 19th. 1996. In Moses Lake. Washington. at Frontier Jr. High School on February 2nd. 1996. 14-year-old Barry Loukaitis killed two pupils and a instructor with a rifle. 1997 saw three violent incidents on February 19th in Alaska. October 1st in Mississippi. and December 1st Kentucky with a combined decease toll of 8.

including a parent. a principal. and six pupils.

Three episodes in 1998 in Arkansas on March 24th. Pennsylvania on April 24th. and Oregon on May 21st claimed the lives of 10 more. Littleton. Colorado was devastated on April 21st. 1999. when 18-year-old Eric Harris and 17-year-old Dylan Klebold murdered 12 pupils and one instructor before perpetrating self-destruction in the library of Columbine High School. The concluding wreckage of 1999 came to go through on November 19th at Deming Middle School in Deming. New Mexico when 12-year-old Victor Cordova shooting and killed a 13-year-old schoolmate. ( CNN U. S. . 2012 ) .

The first scene of 2000 unfurled with the youngest wrongdoer to day of the month. a 6-year-old male child. who shot and killed a 6-year-old miss at Buell Elementary in Mt. Morris Township. Michigan on February 29th. On May 26th of the same twelvemonth in Lake Worth. Florida. 13-year-old Nathaniel Brazill returned to school after being sent place for misconducting to hit and kill his instructor. Barry Grunow. at Lake Worth Community Middle School. At Santana High School in Santee. California. on March 5th. 2001. 15-year-old Charles “Andy” Williams killed two schoolmates and injured 13.

The last disturbance until 2003 transpired on December 5th. 2001. at Springfield High in Springfield. Massachusetts when troubled adolescent Corey Ramos stabbed Reverend Theodore Brown. a counsellor at the school. to decease. 2003 saw two calamities on April 24th at Red Lion Area Jr. High School in Red Lion. Pennsylvania when 14-year-old James Sheets shot his principal. Eugene Segro. and so himself. and on September 24th in Cold Spring. Minnesota. at Rocori High School. where 15-year-old Jason McLaughlin killed one pupil

and critically injured another who died in October.

The exclusive incident in 2004 struck on February 3rd at Southwood Middle School in Palmetto Bay. Florida. affecting 14-year-old Michael Hernandez who slashed the pharynx of 14-year-old Jaime Rodrigo Gough. 16-year-old Jeff Weise perpetrated a multiple slaying in Red Lake. Minnesota. get downing with the slaying of his gramps and another grownup followed by killing four fellow pupils at Red Lake High School. a instructor. a security guard and eventually himself on March 21st. 2005.

In Jacksboro. Tennessee. Campbell County Comprehensive High School felt the sting of lunacy on November 8th. 2005. as a 15-year-old pupil opened fire on a chief and two helper principals. killing one and critically injuring another.

Three barbarous episodes rocked 2006: two dead in a Colorado high school hiting on September 27th. one dead in a high school hiting in Wisconsin on September 29th. and six dead. six wounded in a Pennsylvania Amish school on October 2nd. The remarkable onslaught in 2007 befell Henry Foss High School of Tacoma. Washington on January 3rd. climaxing with 18-year-old Douglas Chantabouly fatally hiting 17-year-old Samnang Kok.

2008’s lone incident was a shot at Central High School in Knoxville. Tennessee. go forthing one dead. 2009 witnessed three ferociousnesss in rapid sequence get downing on September 15th at a Florida high school go forthing one fatally stabbed. shadowed on September 23rd at a Texas high school where a instructor was stabbed and killed and the shutting human death on October 16th at a South Carolina high school where a constabulary officer shooting and killed a pupil after the pupil had stabbed the officer.

One confrontation on February 5th. 2010. at an Alabama

in-between school resulted in a 14-year-old with a fatal shooting to the caput and a struggle on January 5th. 2011. at a Nebraska high school conveying about the decease of a frailty principal and the self-destruction of the taw. Prior to the Sandy Hook horror in December of 2012. an onslaught occurred on February 27th at Chardon High School in Chardon. Ohio. killing three and injuring four others ( Timeline: School force in the US. CNN U. S. . 2012 ) .

2013 has already suffered the first school assault at Taft High School in Taft. California go forthing one pupil in a coma and contending for his life ( Simmons. 2012 ) . Following the Newtown calamity of Sandy Hook. several province lawgivers have begun the procedure of presenting statute law to let instructors to bear weaponries. These provinces include Florida. Minnesota. Oklahoma. Oregon. South Dakota and Tennessee.

Oklahoma State Representative Mark McCullough is quoted as stating: We can non go on to be shackled by politically right. automatic. anti-gun sentiment in the face of the obvious — our schools are soft marks. It is improbably irresponsible to go forth our schools undefended — to let huffy work forces to kill tonss of inexperienced persons when we have a really simple solution available to us to forestall it. I’ve been sing this proposal for a long clip. In visible radiation of the savageness on show in Connecticut. I believe it’s an thought whose clip has come.

( Celock. 2012. parity. 3 ) While these provinces are merely get downing their journey to let instructors to bear weaponries. there are topographic points where such Torahs already exist. In

Indiana. province jurisprudence makes schools “gun-free zones” . but exempts employees or others authorized by a school “to act as a security guard. perform or take part in a school map. or take part in any other activity authorized by a school” ( Wilson. 2012. parity. 2 ) . Harrold. a little Texas town. allows instructors and school functionaries to transport hidden arms on school evidences.

This was nem con voted upon by the school board in 2007. necessitating merely that any school employee who plans to transport a arm obtain foremost a province concealed-weapons license. and so be approved by the school board to transport hidden arms on campus. ( Brown. 2012 ) While leting instructors to transport guns may look an obvious solution to many. there are those who favor other attacks to doing our schools safer. Maria Otero-Ball is a kindergarten instructor in my hometown of Albuquerque. New Mexico.

Bing a instructor of five and six year-old pupils. the Sandy Hook Elementary School calamity struck a really personal chord with Mrs. Otero-Ball. Following the hideous event. Mrs. Otero-Ball made the alterations that she was able to on her ain to do her schoolroom safer ; she cleared out her supply cupboard to enable her to conceal pupils in such an event. put in topographic point a schoolroom exigency process for usage in concurrence with the school’s exigency process and she now runs a drill at least hebdomadal to guarantee her pupils know what to make in instance of an onslaught such as the one in Newtown. Connecticut.

Even so. she knows that these are little alterations whose opportunities of effectivity are unsure at best. Mrs.

Otero-Ball has another thought that she will be suggesting in the following school board meeting. Her thought is for instructors to be issued and trained on non-lethal arms such as stun guns. tasers. tranquillizer darts. and/or Piper nigrum spray. Mrs. Otero-Ball’s stance is. “I believe that we [ the instructors ] would hold a much better opportunity of immobilising a culprit if armed with something like this [ stun guns. tasers. tranquillizer darts. and/or Piper nigrum spray ] .

” ( Interview: Maria Otero-Ball. 2012 ) Non-lethal arms are intended to do hurting and/or physically disable an antagonist with a minimum hazard of serious or lasting hurt. The available types of non-lethal arms include pepper spray. which comes in a compact cylinder and emits a Piper nigrum based. oleo rosin spray that has the ability to disable an aggressor regardless of size and/or strength. Pepper spray is most effectual in close scope brushs and do non necessitate accurate purposes nor much preparation. Pepper spray is widely used by the general populace and would non necessitate statute law to be allowed in schools.

Tasers are one of the more painful non-lethal arms and work by hiting little electrodes which penetrate the aggressors vesture and tegument. These electrodes are connected to a wire which conducts a strong electrical current and incapacitates wrongdoers for up to 10 proceedingss. Tasers are good for distance usage and the incapacitation clip of the wrongdoer would let clip for the victims to take control of the state of affairs. take themselves to a safer location and contact jurisprudence enforcement. Stun guns work on the same basic premiss as tasers. but are a manus held.

close scope arm.

Stun guns could be really effectual if one was able to surprise the victim from buttocks and take them down with a daze to the dorsum of the cervix. Both tasers and stun guns would necessitate more preparation for usage every bit good as for safety of the animal trainer. One could anticipate legislative assembly would be required to let these in schools and provide sufficient preparation for the instructors designated for their usage. Tranquilizer darts are best known for their usage on wildlife such as bears. but can be modified for usage on worlds by using a smaller dart and lower dose of ataractic. anaesthetic or paralytic agent.

The drawbacks with the usage of tranquillizer guns include a hold between the clip the dart connects and the incapacitation of the aggressor and a danger of the wrongdoer deceasing if non monitored closely. ( Admin: Merely be Safe. 2011 ) Based on the research of the benefits and drawbacks of these non-lethal options. a combination of handiness of Piper nigrum spray. stun guns and tasers for instructors and developing on their usage and handling would be most good in a state of affairs affecting a individual or multiple attacker ( s ) .

After being faced with a awful scene such as that which was encountered in Newtown at Sandy Hook Elementary School. it may good be the gut reaction of the general populace to shout. “Arm our instructors! ” In fact. since I have begun this paper. several more schools have begun statute law. voted to let instructors to transport hidden arms and even purchased arms for the sole usage of the school. However.

if more idea is given to the deductions of build uping instructors with guns. one must see that this could turn out more unsafe than helpful if the gun were to be appropriated by the offender.

Another idea that had non been considered during my research was brought to visible radiation by ‘The Ed Show’ on January 10. 2013 ; many parents do non excuse instructors holding guns. concealed or otherwise. near their kids ( The Ed Show. 2013 ) . With proper developing on non-lethal arms such as stun guns. tasers. and pepper spray. instructors would be able to support our young person without the fright of holding to kill or holding a homicidal arm wrested from them while trying to support those they strive to protect. The facts are distressingly apparent: 1.

Violence in school has escalated over the old ages and something must be done to protect the pupils and module. 2. The decease toll associating to school force is much excessively high for comfort. 3. Regulating gun Torahs will non forestall guns from being in circulation. 4. There are many drawbacks to leting instructors to hold entree to guns in schools including fright of the gun falling into the incorrect custodies. uncomfortableness of the parents cognizing there are guns in the schools and what the taw would hold to cover with if they were to kill person.

5. Conceivably. non-lethal arms would be the safer. more manageable solution in doing our schools the oasis the community deserves them to be. In visible radiation of all of the grounds. it is evident that a via media could be made to maintain our schools safe by

giving the teachers the tools they need and still maintain guns out of our schools. therefore hearty authorities. parents. instructors. pupils and households likewise.