While it has become a common suggestion when debating what should be done to stop mass shootings at schools, the majority of educators (54%) feel carrying firearms in school would make kids less safe.
The thoughts were shared in a recent poll conducted by RAND Corporation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization. The poll included responses from 973 K-12 teachers and was conducted between October and November 2022.
With the majority sharing that they were uncomfortable with carrying a firearm, 19% reported that they would be interested in carrying a gun to school, and 26% felt indifferent on whether or not it would make schools more or less safe.
As for those who backed carrying firearms, white teachers were more likely to support arming educators compared to Black teachers. Male teachers in rural schools were also more likely to suggest carrying firearms as a means of protection, the survey found.
While both legislators and school districts across the country have made efforts to reduce school shootings, 2022 saw 51 school shootings result in injuries or deaths, Education Week reports.
However, Heather L. Schwartz, a policy researcher at RAND and one of the report’s authors, shared in a statement that shootings are not the main safety concern for the majority of teachers.
“Despite the prevalence of anti-bullying programs, everyday school violence is a concern for teachers. Bullying, not active shooters, was teachers’ most common top safety concern, followed by fights and drugs,” Schwartz said.
When it comes to what measures teachers thought could have a positive impact on stopping school shootings, around half of the respondents saw the addition of locks, ID badges, cameras, and security staff as positive.
Around 5% of respondents disagreed, saying that the additional security measures would harm the climate of the school.
Around four out of five teachers shared with the pollsters that their school had some form of a physical safety measure. The most common measures reported were visitor systems, staff IDs, and exterior and interior locks.
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