From CeaseFirePA (http://www.ceasefirepa.org):
We’re facing an unbelievable amount of obstruction right now in the General Assembly. In the meantime, truly horrific proposals are being floated by the majority. One of them, introduced by Senator Doug Mastriano, would allow untrained school staff members to arm themselves in a school building via a concealed carry permit. This will increase the risk of gun violence in our schools, not reduce it. Teachers should be educating their students, not worrying about firing off a gun.
Go to https://ceasefirepa.salsalabs.org/220622ArmingTeachers/index.html to use your voice now to say, along with everyone in this community of advocates…absolutely not!
The research couldn’t be more clear. First and foremost, numerous polls show that teachers, staff, parents, and students do not want this proposal. A March 2018 Gallup poll of US teachers showed that 73% oppose these types of proposals, and another poll showed that 63 percent of parents of elementary, middle, and high school students oppose arming teachers.
The unfairness of forcing teachers to take on this burden is not even half of the issue, because arming teachers or security guards or other school staff simply has not worked in practice. Access to a firearm, irrespective of age, triples the risk of death by suicide and doubles the risk of death by homicide. Across all forms of gun violence in America’s schools, 58 percent of shooters were associated with the school.
Encouraging the use of guns in schools simply increases the likelihood that your child will face acts of gun violence in their school setting, even more than what they’re already enduring. It is gasoline on a dumpster fire created by legislative political games. It is time to put that fire out, once and for all.
This issue is so timely, because in Ohio, they just passed this bill. We could be next, if we don’t act with urgency. Not only do these proposals fail to address gun violence in our schools, they also create an environment that is absolutely terrifying for students, especially students of color who are already disproportionately disciplined in school.
If you do one bit of advocacy today, make it this action. Contact your lawmaker, remind them you are a registered voter, and tell them that any support of a proposal to arm teachers in schools is a complete dealbreaker for you.
¹ https://news.gallup.com/poll/229808/teachers-oppose-carrying-guns-schools.aspx; EveryAction
² Anglemyer A, Horvath T, Rutherford G. The accessibility of firearms and risk for suicide and homicide victimization among household members: a systematic review and metaanalysis. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2014; 160: 101–110.
³ Everytown for Gun Safety. “Gunfire On School Grounds Database”. Everytown for Gun Safety. (2020). https://bit.ly/2DiNj0r
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