“Teachers should be allowed to carry guns in schools.”

On Oct. 15, Bend, Oregon, suffered an unthinkable tragedy. A 16-year-old shot his way through the locked doors of Silver Rail Elementary and killed three children, ages 5, 8 and 11, and a teacher. Another child and a second teacher were critically wounded. A community member followed him inside and shot him. Governor Tina Kotek said her heart was “absolutely broken,” and the school superintendent called it “an unthinkable tragedy.” Bend-La Pine Schools has banned guns on its property since 2021, which Oregon law lets districts choose. Grieving families and neighbors are now asking whether armed adults inside schools could have saved lives, or whether more guns would only add danger. Police have not said what the motive was.

Elizabeth Brown, principal of Ocala Charter High School, Florida (agrees): She allows two trained staff “guardians” to carry concealed on campus and says, “No one knows who they are, they are entrenched with our students day after day after day. I feel just as safe with them on campus [as having school resource officers].” School resource officers are police officers assigned to a school. Andy McGill, assistant principal in Ohio (disagrees): In 2017 he helped talk down a school shooter. He says, “Teachers are wired and programmed to work with kids, to reason with kids, even to negotiate with kids. I would never want my teacher to have to negotiate with somebody that has a gun because there probably will be hesitation.” Aimee Huff and Michelle Barnhart, Oregon State University researchers (middle): “There are documented incidents of school staff using their firearm to neutralize a shooter. However, researchers have not found evidence that arming teachers increases school safety.”