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Dear friend,
Teachers with guns.
No, that's not a horror film title--it's Trump's and the NRA's deadly answer to school shootings, and we can't let it happen. More guns in our schools won't make them safer--especially for Black children who are already criminalized and violated inside and outside of schools. At a young age, Black students are heavily policed by the presence of police officers, metal detectors in school buildings, and a system of punitive discipline that funnels them through the school-prison pipeline.
This ridiculous and dangerous response to arm teachers and increase police presence in schools is sadly not new. After the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting in Newtown, resulting in the death of twenty children and six adults, the NRA introduced a new strategy to exploit school shootings to benefit the gun industry by driving up gun sales. According to National Center for Education Statistics, Trump's plan would require arming up to 700,000 more people in schools with guns.1 This terrible idea has nothing to do with safety, it's all about making money--and exploiting the families who've lost their loved ones in tragedy.
Bills are already popping up in state legislatures to approve measures that would arm teachers--including a bill in Florida that Gov. Rick Scott just signed into law. That's why we must all stand together and show these lawmakers, and Trump, that we will not allow gun companies to get rich while putting our children in danger.
Black students already face violent discipline in schools--with Black students as young as four years old being more likely to be hit by their teachers than white students.2 This violence against Black children in school is normalized, we saw this in 2015 when a video went viral of a white police officer in South Carolina body slamming a 15-year old Black girl who was sitting at her desk, and dragging her across the classroom floor. Despite this violent video, captured on three cell phones, showing that the officer was clearly in the wrong the Justice Department deemed that there was not enough evidence to charge the officer with any criminal civil rights violations.3 We would see this type of violence happen time and time again if teachers were armed.
Teachers are some of the most hardworking people and carry a huge responsibility every day to educate our youth, often with limited funding, support, and resources. Instead of arming teachers with guns they should be armed with more resources and funding. Many teachers have already spoken out against this plan to arm them, saying that their "desires are not being reflected in the tone-deaf suggestions being made by lawmakers as a solution to America’s gun problem..asking us to now carry the burden of having the responsibility to kill is irreparably damaging, even if we never have to discharge our weapon.”4 Just two weeks ago at a high school in Dalton, Georgia a social studies teacher fired shots in the classroom. Fortunately, no students were injured but this just reinforces the lack of safety that happens when teachers are armed.5
Trump and the NRA are gearing up to turn a quick profit from preventable tragedy. This new plan is in direct response to the Parkland shooting--but is opposed by the shooting survivors, community members and parents as it would allow teachers who are trained by law enforcement to carry a gun in the classroom.6
Being trained by law enforcement, who shoot first, ask questions later, and are notorious for excessive use of force means that teachers will have the same dangerous mentality and practices as the police. Guns are not safe, no matter who has them- teachers, police officers, or school security guards, and the last place guns should ever be are in schools.
The NRA and Trump are working to make the Parkland shooting result in an increase in gun sales, but we have time to make sure that none of these dangerous and potentially fatal bills pass. Sign the petition today--keep our schools gun free.
Until justice is real,
Scott, Rashad, Arisha, Clarise, Kristen, Anay, Marena, and the rest of the Color Of Change team
References :
1. "Trump: 10 to 20% of teachers are 'very gun-adept.' Reality: not even close.", Vox, 25 February 2018. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/25755?t=10&akid=9679%2E1942551%2EmFmzW-
2."Children of color already face violent discipline in schools. Arming teachers will get them killed.", The Intercept, 28 February 2018. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/25751?t=12&akid=9679%2E1942551%2EmFmzW-
3. "Former school office will not be charged, sues sheriff, school district", The State, 13 January 2017. http://act.colorofchange.org/go/25756?t=14&akid=9679%2E1942551%2EmFmzW-
4. "Teachers are using #ArmMeWith to demand they be armed with supplies, not guns", Time, 23 February 2018. http://act.colorofchange.org/go/25758?t=16&akid=9679%2E1942551%2EmFmzW-
5. "Shots fired in Georgia high school; teacher taken into custody", Daily Kos, 28 February 2018. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/25753?t=18&akid=9679%2E1942551%2EmFmzW-
6. "Emotional Florida House appears on verge of approving bill on guns and school security", Tampa Bay Times, 6 March 2018. http://act.colorofchange.org/go/25754?t=20&akid=9679%2E1942551%2EmFmzW-
Color Of Change is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black folks and our allies, and win real social and political change. Help keep our movement strong.
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