Gun Law Trendwatch: The Danger of Arming Teachers
If states really want to protect students and save lives, they must reject the gun lobby’s proposals to arm school staff.
There’s been an unfortunate trend this legislative session.
A number of Republican-led states are considering bills to expand the number of teachers and school staff carrying firearms across the country. While there are many evidence-based policies states can enact to combat the rise in the number of school shootings, arming school teachers and employees is not one of them.
Teachers are not, and should not be expected to be, trained law enforcement officers. Putting firearms in teachers’ hands only increases the likelihood that their students, and the teachers themselves, will be harmed, and there is no evidence that arming school employees will help address gun violence in schools.
And, importantly, most teachers oppose these policies. A 2018 National Education Association survey found 82% would not carry a gun in school, including 63% of gun-owning teachers. A similar 2023 RAND survey showed over half of teachers believe arming staff makes schools less safe, with only 20% saying it improves safety.
Armed school employees also have a track record of mishandling firearms in schools, whether it’s leaving their guns unattended or not storing them correctly. For example, the superintendent of the Rising Star Independent School District in Texas resigned in 2023 after a third grade student found his gun unattended in a school bathroom.
But the unpopularity of arming teachers, as well as the numerous troubling incidents that have occurred because of armed school staff, has not stopped red states from introducing and passing laws that allow, fund, and incentivize arming teachers and school staff.
Following the tragic 2018 Parkland shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Florida’s response reflected the beginnings of a disturbing trend: turning to more guns, even in classrooms, as a solution to gun violence. The state passed a law that allowed teachers to carry firearms after undergoing police-style training and psychiatric evaluations. The policy was widely criticized—particularly by communities already impacted by gun violence—and many districts declined to participate, including Broward County, where the Parkland shooting took place.
Many states have followed suit. In 2024, Tennessee passed a law allowing school staff to carry concealed guns on campus if they complete 80 hours of training and receive approval from school and law enforcement officials. Critically, the law keeps the identities of armed teachers confidential—preventing parents from knowing who may be carrying—and shields districts from liability. The law passed despite strong opposition from educators statewide. As one high school teacher put it: “There has to be a better way… than relying on me to carry a gun.”
Arkansas, along with other states, has taken a different approach to arming teachers. It relies on ambiguous state law, which remains silent on the practice of arming teachers. This legal gray area allows school districts to decide independently whether to arm staff. And, because many districts are unable to afford dedicated security officers, several districts have opted to arm educators instead. Critics argue against this and call for greater investment in often-underfunded mental health services.
This year, the Arizona House passed HB 2022 to establish a program to use taxpayer funds to pay for school employees to become trained to carry firearms in schools. As a part of this program, the school may not disclose the names of employees who carry firearms, including to the parents of students at the school.
The bill also does not mandate any safety standards for carrying on campus. Instead, it chooses to grant school employees complete civil and criminal immunity for actions the employee takes during an active threat so long as they are acting in “good faith” and “consistent with” the training they received. This means that a teacher could kill or permanently injure a student or other employee with potentially no consequences and no recourse for the victim and their family.
If the Arizona Senate also passes HB 2022, the bill will head to Governor Katie Hobbs’s desk for signature or veto. In the past, the governor has vetoed many of the Republican legislature’s pro-gun lobby policies.
Gun Violence in Schools
The Minnesota legislature is considering legislation both to authorize teachers to carry firearms and to provide funding for schools to purchase guns for teachers. Both SB 713 and SB 399 would allow teachers and employees of public schools, charter schools, colleges, and universities to carry a firearm on school property after obtaining a new “school permit to carry” license. In addition, SB 2273 and HB 557 would provide taxpayer funding for schools to purchase firearms for teachers and school staff in school districts more than three minutes from a law enforcement response to a dangerous situation at the school.
Idaho HB 273 is a similar proposal that would allow public K–12 school employees—including teachers, administrators, coaches, and even bus drivers—to carry concealed handguns on school grounds with minimal training. School boards could not prevent qualified employees from carrying as long as they complete board-defined training, which may be as little as six days of POST-certified instruction or an enhanced concealed carry course. The bill also requires removal of all “Gun-Free Zone” signs, prohibits discipline of compliant staff, and shields employees and districts from civil liability—raising serious concerns about oversight and accountability.
States don’t need to resort to arming teachers and other school staff to try to prevent school shootings. There are many commonsense, effective policies that keep minors and those likely to harm others from accessing guns—in turn preventing gun violence in schools and keeping kids safe.
Extreme Risk Protection Orders
Mass shooters often disclose their intentions or display observable, concerning behaviors or violent acts prior to their attacks. Extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs) allow family and household members, mental health and medical professionals, and law enforcement to get a court order to temporarily prevent the individual from possessing or purchasing firearms while they are at risk of harming themself or others.
And ERPOs work. In just the first three months after Maryland implemented its ERPO law, four individuals who made threats of violence against schools were disarmed.
While less than half of states currently have ERPO laws on the books, many states are slowly working their way towards passing one. This year, Maine gun safety advocates have confirmed enough signatures to get an initiative on the ballot this November to amend its law to allow ERPOs.
Safe Storage Laws
Safe storage laws, like New York’s currently pending AB 1962, require firearms be locked in secure containers or with gun locks when not in the owner’s immediate possession. These laws are key to ensuring kids, teens, and those who shouldn’t have access to guns can’t access them. But they’re only effective when parents and guardians know what’s required and understand the importance of safe firearm storage—an issue GIFFORDS and our Gun Owners for Safety program continues to educate communities about.
Schools can also help promote secure firearm storage. As of 2024, 43% of gun owners did not store all firearms safely, and the US Secret Service found that between 2008 and 2017, 76% of school shooters obtained their firearms from a parent or close relative. With 4.6 million children living in homes with loaded, unlocked guns, schools can play a key role in educating families on responsible storage by sending materials home with students, emailing resources to parents and guardians, and including information on school websites.
Firearm Purchase and Possession Restrictions
Limitations on firearm purchases, like minimum age laws and assault weapon bans, can also prevent dangerous weapons from getting into the hands of potential school shooters. A disproportionate number of school shootings are committed by people under the age of 21—so raising the age to purchase firearms can prevent young people from owning guns until their brains are more fully developed.
Similarly, assault weapons have been used in numerous school shootings, including in Uvalde, Texas; Parkland, Florida; and Newtown, Connecticut—yet they are in no way necessary for self-defense. Next week in Rhode Island, the Senate Judiciary Committee will be hearing SB 359, the State Assault Weapons Ban Act. The House companion bill, HB 5436, was heard in committee back in March and is awaiting a vote.
More guns results in more dangerous, lethal situations. This has been proven time and again. If states really want to protect students and save lives, they must reject the gun lobby’s proposals to arm school staff.
Instead, lawmakers should turn to the myriad of policies known to decrease the risk of gun violence, including school shootings. Extreme risk protection orders, safe storage laws, minimum age laws, and assault weapons bans are only the start—our experts can speak to the full spectrum of gun violence prevention issues and regularly partner with state lawmakers to craft effective, lifesaving firearm legislation.
With smart policies and implementation, legislators have the power to make our communities—and schools—safer.
MEDIA REQUESTS
Our experts can speak to the full spectrum of gun violence prevention issues. Have a question? Email us at media@giffords.org.
Contact
