07/23/2025
In recent years, the debate over arming teachers in American schools has only intensified. With increasing incidents of school shootings, many are asking: Should teachers be armed? What are the pros and cons? Which states allow teachers to carry guns in schools? Let’s explore these pressing questions using research and firsthand accounts.
Why Arm Teachers?
Arming teachers and staff gives them a fighting chance. Joel Myrick, the former assistant principal at Pearl High School in Pearl, Mississippi, stopped a student’s attack with a firearm. Many argue that Myrick’s actions prove that when seconds count, law enforcement is minutes away.
It takes law enforcement anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes to respond to an emergency. The FBI reported that 69 percent of active threat events end in five minutes or less, and 67 percent are over before officers arrive. For rural schools, response times can stretch up to 20 minutes or longer — minutes that schools can’t afford to lose.
Lori Snyder-Lowe is the superintendent at the Muskingum Valley Educational Service Center, which serves 16 school districts. In 2018, PBS interviewed her about why she believes teachers should be armed. She recently spoke with the USCCA and said her views haven’t changed. “I still highly believe in arming staff,” she said, “especially in rural areas where access to law enforcement is limited.”
Programs like FASTER Saves Lives were born out of these concerns. The FASTER program, which stands for Faculty/Administrator Safety Training and Emergency Response, began as a vision of John Benner, owner of Tactical Defense Institute (TDI). Although he had been working on the concept for a while, it wasn’t until the Sandy Hook Elementary attack in Newtown, Connecticut, where 26 were murdered, that schools were ready to listen.
Do Armed Teachers Make Schools Safer?
The Purdue Homeland Security Institute conducted a series of studies on active shooter mitigation. Their 2022 study published in the Journal of Emergency Management found that a school resource officer (SRO) or armed staff member would reduce causalities during a school shooting.
The PHSI’s director, J. Eric Dietz tasked his students with examining the effectiveness of various measures, such as employing SROs, arming teachers, locking doors and decreasing police response time, with the help of agent-based modeling. The software permits researchers to replicate real-world events removed from the danger of a mass shooter threat.
The PHSI study tested three hypotheses using an existing Columbine High School shooting model: the introduction of an SRO, armed staff member or both into a school shooting event. The researchers ran 12 scenarios 100 times each:
- All victims hide (no SRO or armed staff member)
- All victims run (no SRO or armed staff member)
- All victims fight (no SRO or armed staff member)
- All victims run (one SRO)
- All victims run (one armed staff member)
- All victims run (one SRO and one armed staff member)
- All victims hide (one SRO)
- All victims hide (one armed staff member)
- All victims hide (one SRO and one armed staff member)
- All victims fight (one SRO)
- All victims fight (one armed staff member)
- All victims fight (one SRO and one armed staff member)
According to the research, when all the victims hide, the survival rate was 1.8 percent. When all the victims fought back, the survival probability was 98 percent. Their findings showed that the introduction of an SRO, armed staff member or both into a school shooting event resulted in significantly higher survival rates.
When a gunman entered an Alabama middle school and took five girls hostage, an armed resource officer was at the school and was able to diffuse the situation within 20 minutes. It was another incredible example of a good guy with a gun being able to stop a bad guy with a gun.
What Are the Arguments Against Arming Teachers?
Not everyone agrees with arming teachers. A 2018 Gallup Panel survey of 497 K-12 teachers showed that an overwhelming majority neither want to go armed nor feel that arming staff members will provide a safer workplace. In fact, 58 percent of respondents feel that arming teachers would make schools less safe.
John Moffatt, a retired Montana principal shot by a student, is one teacher opposed to arming his colleagues. “Imagine what would happen if you introduced into that scene somebody on staff carrying a weapon and running adrenaline-charged into that,” he stated. “It’s almost impossible for me to imagine that it wouldn’t have been worse.”
Concerns about training and liability are frequently raised. Negligent discharge incidents, such as when a sixth-grade Utah teacher mistakenly shot a school toilet when she recklessly placed it on top of the toilet paper dispenser, only support this sentiment. Insurance coverage is another hurdle. In Kansas, where school staff can carry with superintendent approval, EMC Insurance Companies, which covers most Kansas school districts, denied coverage to armed staff.
Pros and Cons of Arming Teachers
Pros:
- Armed teachers can provide immediate response during an active shooter event, potentially saving lives.
- Armed staff may act as a deterrent to would-be attackers who target schools with no resistance.
- Programs like FASTER Saves Lives and National Train a Teacher Day offer high-level training to ensure teachers are well-prepared.
- Armed school staff can be a crucial line of defense in rural areas with extended police response times.
Cons:
- Many teachers are opposed to being armed, with surveys like the Gallup Panel survey showing 58 percent of teachers feel it would make schools less safe.
- Increased risks of negligent discharges or accidents on school property.
- Potential for insurance complications, with some providers refusing coverage for schools with armed staff.
- Risk of mistaken identity during police response, leading to possible tragic errors.
- Added psychological and emotional burden on teachers who are already responsible for educational duties.
Training Teachers to Be Armed
The last thing a parent wants is a person with mediocre training carrying a gun around their child. Organizations like National Train a Teacher Day (NTATD) counter this concern by offering awareness, medical, unarmed and deterrence training, and firearms instruction to teachers and staff for free.
Only those who are willing to undergo rigorous training, continue to review what they learned and understand the responsibility associated with carrying a gun should be permitted to be armed in schools.
The FASTER program sets a high standard. This nonprofit program gives educators practical violence-response training.
Which States Allow Teachers to Be Armed?
State laws vary significantly. Some states, like Ohio, have robust programs like FASTER, while others allow individual districts to make decisions. Kansas permits arming teachers but faces insurance challenges. Policies frequently change, so it is crucial for teachers and parents to check with their state’s most recent legislation.
Should Teachers Be Armed?
Arming teachers remains a divisive issue. Those in favor argue that armed teachers can shorten response times, save lives and deter attackers, particularly in rural schools where law enforcement response is delayed. Programs like FASTER and National Train a Teacher Day provide high-level training to those who choose to carry.
Opponents highlight the risks of accidents, liability issues and the stress placed on educators. Polls show many teachers oppose being armed.
As the debate continues, one thing is certain: The need for effective, timely protection for students and teachers remains a priority in school safety discussions.
https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/blog/pros-and-cons-of-arming-teachers-with-guns-in-schools/