The National Rifle Association is recommending that more schools should consider implementing an armed guard program to improve the safety of students. If something were to happen on a school campus, the guards would be able to provide an immediate response, instead of having to wait for law enforcement. However, having a gun already on campus may cause more accidents to occur.

In my elementary school, a yard duty attendant was always on campus, and in junior high there was one guard who everyone knew and respected as campus security. This guard was never armed, but was still able to defuse situations and keep the campus safe.

“I think safety is the greatest concern when dealing with juvenile students, but more guns can lead to more violence,” said junior Eric Klein, a criminal justice major. “I don’t think we need armed soldiers, but having security personnel who have knowledge of how to handle major situations is important. But adding guns is not the solution.”

Adding guns will not help increase student safety and will only lead to more accidents.

According to Marian Wright Edleman, president of the Children’s Defense Fund, “The truth is there is no evidence that armed guards or police officers in schools make children safer. Columbine High School had an armed guard, and Virginia Tech had a full campus police force. Today’s report is nothing more than a continuation of the NRA’s attempts to prey on America’s fears, saturate our schools with more guns and turn them into armed fortresses.”

It doesn’t make sense to bring guns on to a campus with children who may not understand the consequences of using a gun. Children and young teens are known for pushing the limits, and adding guns on campus could be a recipe for disaster.

“The idea of having armed guards on school campuses is not an effective tool for combating school shootings,” said junior Kevin Wilmott, a criminal justice and political science major. “Armed guards cannot successfully mediate an active shooter situation and may even create for confusion when law enforcement personnel quickly arrive on scene of a school shooting. By implementing armed guards on school campuses, schools will be transformed into an environment similar to that of an internment camp and instill fear in students that guns are required to keep their school safe.”

Of course, I want children to be protected and this may require added security on campus, but an armed guard seems to be the NRA’s way of promoting the use of guns in a place they should never be.

Some schools disagree and already have armed guards on their campus.

“In my high school, we had an armed cop on campus, and we all knew that there was someone on  campus who would be able to take care of a situation, and in a way, there was an element of fear that made the students on my campus less prone to do something stupid,” said sophomore Emanuel Freede. “Maybe in middle and elementary school it might be too much, but I’m not sure.”

I think there needs to be security on campus, but not severe forms, like an armed guard. As the saying goes, “you don’t fight fire with fire.”

Veronica Manzo
Staff Writer
Published April 10, 2013