Essay Sample on Students Should Not Have Guns in Texas Schools

Introduction

There more than 393 million guns in circulation within the United States. The constitution gives the security of the American citizen prominence. Weapons are meant to enhance personal security by complementing the work of the security agencies (Teasley 132). Increased mass shooting in schools has elicited the debate about guns in schools. The question of whether students should carry guns to school continues to elicit discussion in Texas and America in general.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

The new issue in Texas that is being discussed is whether college students should be allowed to carry weapons on campus. The position of this debate is that students should not be allowed to have guns in schools. However, it is not to say that the problem of insecurity is not in schools, but it is to mean that other options that are viable can be explored. Guns in the hands of the student will create more problems than the current security challenges. Students should just be allowed to be students, and the security agents who are trained to do so should be better equipped and prepared to respond to security concerns by the students on campuses and hostels. It is the role of security agents who are trained and employed using taxpayer money to guarantee security to all students so that they feel safe.

Arguments Against Students Having Guns

Increased Accidental Deaths

Students are not adequately trained to handle guns. Having a gun doe's not mean that everyone is mentally prepared to handle the women with caution and restraint. Students are also known to be very volatile and inexperienced and thus are bound to react in an unreasonable manner. The unreasonableness associated with most students at their age means they are not mentally conditioned to manage anger and confusion to know when to use the gun and when not to use (Hansen 33). There are high chances that some students will use firearms carelessly, resulting in accidental deaths of fellow students and peaceful citizens in cases of mistaken identity or reaction from a shocking situation. Most deaths likely to occur are not those of aggressors resulting in the necessity to shoot but innocent victims of trigger happy students (Teasley 131).

More Guns Will Not Solve the Problem

The main reason why students want to have guns in school is to protect themselves due to cases of insecurity. However, having all students carry guns to school does not mean the issue of insecurity will go away. Danger in schools is a complex that cannot be complete dead by just having students with guns (Teasley 132). More guns in school might be another security threat. Schools need to have secured planning and coordination in place, which will help the security agencies protect students as opposed to them defending themselves. Having all students with guns does not mean a lone shooter will not attack students and cause more deaths before he is killed. Students in school are more preoccupied with their classwork meaning even if they all had guns, they would not respond strategically and on a timely basis to an attacker (Hansen 63). It is upon schools to ensure that security mechanisms are in place to protect all students from attacks such as gun attacks by mentally ill persons or terrorists. To solve the issue of security does not mean that all students have to carry guns to school.

Management of the Guns Will Be Challenging

It would be a challenging affair to ensure that guns in the hand of students are used and appropriately kept. Managing students with guns in schools might be a challenging affair since the employees in school have been employed to teach but not protect students from harming themselves. When everyone has a gun and feels that it is his right to manage it, it may result in a conflict between the school management and the students on how to handle the guns, creating a management problem (Hansen 44). The school management may not be able to control what every student does with the gun in the school compound, and since it's private property, the teachers will feel powerless (Teasley 131).

Causes Unnecessary Tension

Students in colleges are young minds. Some of them have not been exposed to guns. Imagining that there are some students who have guns and can easily use them to shoot will scare other students. It will make learning difficult by creating unnecessary tension between students and teachers who will fear to confront indiscipline students who have guns in school. It will be a game of egos between students and teachers and students to students since most will feel that they have a weapon that can threaten and have their way (Hansen 92). The tension between students and teachers caused by the availability of guns in schools is unnecessary for students and in a learning environment. Students and teachers should exist together in a calm environment that is favorable for learning but not an environment full of tension, which will take away the regular student life, which includes small arguments and fights that help build personalities (Hansen 91).

Students Dominate the Schools

Schools are for students and not criminals and terrorists. It thus beats the logic of why they should have guns. The security agents are there to protect them from any intrusion, and there is no justifiable reason why students should have guns. The proponents of students having guns argue that they need to defend themselves in schools and campus hostels. However, these hostels are well guarded and security agents in strategic places to respond. Gun attackers whom students feel threatened by can be contained by other measures such as increased security surveillance but not only by students arming themselves (Hansen 52). Students should just be students without guns and let the security agents do their work.

Arguments for Students Having Guns

Personal Security

The discussion by those supporting the idea of students having guns is that it assures personal security. There have been increased cases of the mass shooting, especially in schools. The mass shooting has resulted in many deaths of innocent students who were helpless during the attack (Elser 23). Students from various campuses around Texas have also reported cases of mugging and rape for female students who are considered weak and may not protect themselves. These are valid reasons for anyone to want personal security assured. Universities and high schools have been, in some instances, unable to protect the students from these attacks. However, students having guns will not mean reduced attacks. It may bring many accidental deaths and panic shootings, which may not be effective. Comprehensive security measures by universities and security organs can quickly help assure student's security but not having them protect themselves (Hansen 62). They may become a threat to other peace-loving students. Own safety should be guaranteed by the schools and security agents but not by an individual. Students have guns results to even more personal security threats for the students due to the misuse of guns since they are not regularly prepared to use weapons.

Increased Cases of Gun Attacks

There have indeed increased mass shootings by mentally ill individuals or terrorists. These alone have increased calls for the Texas government to allow guns in schools. There have been cases of many students dying in schools where the shooters outmaneuvered the security agents. The security concerns raised from this by the student are valid (Elser 25). However, mass shootings will still happen if all the security lapses in schools are not addressed. Students having guns cannot be the solution to the insecurity problem in schools. They are not even trained for active shooting, which is the role of trained personnel like the police. Even with guns, students will still not help themselves when attacked by a mass shooter who is determined to shoot as many as possible (Hansen 56).

The Weapon Will Be Concealed

People supporting guns in schools argue that students will be compelled to conceal weapons. By covering the guns, they claim it will help in dealing with student panic and tension caused by the arms in schools. However, even when the weapons are concealed the knowledge that some students have guns in schools will still create anxiety among students and staff. Concealing does not remove the fact that students have guns, and it will be risky for all, including students themselves (Elser 25). They need protection from themselves by supporting the idea that students should not be allowed to have guns in schools.

Conclusion

Prevention policies should be put in place to ensure the security of students on campuses. Having guns will create more security threats than solutions to the student population. Students having guns will not guarantee personal safety as a student can also be involved in shooting one another. Increased gun attacks do not mean students need to get armed. It is not true that gun holding students will be able to actively engage an active shooter who is tra9ned and more experienced. The tension created in school as a result of the student having guns will be more damaging than the imagination of attacks from an outsider. Teachers and students do not have adequate training to handle weapons, and their primary profession involves teaching and learning. Giving students weapons gets a part of their mind away from school work to issues of security. The reasons as to why a student should have guns are valid. However, giving students weapons does not mean it is the only solution.

There are other solutions to the students' security. These solutions include increased security surveillance and security personnel in schools. Students should have protection from themselves, and doing so means not having guns in schools and campus hostels.

Works Cited

Elser, Mariah. "Will Introducing Guns Make Schools Safer? The Answer: No." (2018).

Hansen, M. "There are ways to make schools safer and teachers stronger-But they don't involve guns." The Brookings Institution (2018).

Teasley, Martell L. "School shootings and the need for more school-based mental health services." (2018): 131-134.