On March 12, 2018, The Lindenhurst High School Debate Club debated if teachers should carry firearms to defend the school against a possible shooting in the wake of the Florida Parkland shooting in which 17 school officials and students were killed.  According to Ms. Dowd, the advisor of the club, the Debate Club fosters an environment where students  are challenged to open their minds to the diverse opinions of others on controversial issues while learning to support their positions with facts and evidence.  The goal is to ensure that all students’ voices are heard, encourage critical thinking and provide a venue for all to learn more about the important political and social issues they face each day.  On this day, the Debate Club split into two sides, Pro-gun and Anti-gun. 

The Pro-side began with an introduction which covered Donald Trump’s policy and feelings toward guns in school. The Pro-side revealed that Donald Trump would be willing to devote money towards guns in school. The Pro-side also revealed that teachers will have to have training in order to carry a concealed firearm in school and will be able to receive a raise. The Pro-side argued that If teachers were armed during the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the incident could have been easily prevented. It took 5-8 minutes for the Broward County Sheriff Department to enter the building and save the students. The Pro-side went on to explain that most school shooters were students with mental illnesses. Prior to the shooting, Nicholas Cruz even stated that he wanted to shoot up a school before and even posted it on social media. The Pro-side however agreed to having a screened background check to only grant a gun licence to those who are mentally stable. They argued that a mental illness could be a red flag in a possible threat or attack to a school. Locally, the Pro-side mentioned that Lindenhurst High School security does not have any weapons to defend the school against any attack. The Pro-side notably said, “They just use their fists.” Whether it be a non-lethal weapon or not, the Pro-side wanted to arm teachers and security with a weapon key on delivering a powerful range. The Anti-side mentioned possible non-lethal weapons, but most non-lethal weapons have a good range.

The anti-gun side had many good points throughout the debate. First they said that arming teachers is a terrible idea because nothing is stopping students from rushing the teacher and taking the gun. Making it easier for the person to shoot up the school! The anti-gun side also stated that arming teachers can be bad for kids mentally. They think that have a kindergarten teacher with a gun with a gun will teach them that guns equal death which intern will make them afraid of the teachers in the future possibly hurting there chances to learn and to grow.  The Anti-side also stated that when the police eventually break in during the shooting and they see a teacher with a gun they will most likely shoot that teacher. They also stated that they don’t believe the FBI was in the wrong for not investigating the “I going to be a pro school shooter” comment by Parkland shooter Nicholas Cruz because that seems more like a joke that someone would put on the internet to laugh at people reactions. The last part of their argument was the idea of arming teacher with-non lethal weapons. But as you read before most dont have great range but the key word is most. Riot guns which are used all the time around the world would be a great choice if needed.

Regardless of opinions, debates can’t away the death of seventeen students. Now our job as citizens of our country is to make sure our schools are safe. We can guarantee the safety of our students if we work together towards making changes. It’s unfortunate that this has gotten too far with students at such a young age losing their lives because someone is able to get into the school first of all and shoot up the school. According to www.cnbc.com, “several of the deadliest mass shootings in modern U.S. history have taken place in schools.”  Now what are we going to do about this to stop it from happening again?