The ongoing debate regarding gun control has recently exploded — especially in the media — after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., on Wednesday, Feb. 14.

One of the topics that has been avidly discussed is the idea of arming teachers.

President Donald Trump showed his full support to this idea after tweeting on his Twitter account: “Armed Educators (and trusted people who work within a school) love our students and will protect them. Very smart people. Must be firearms adept & have annual training. Should get yearly bonus. Shootings will not happen again – a big & very inexpensive deterrent. Up to States.”

Since the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, school shootings have become more common. According to CNN there has been at least 14 school shootings in 2018 as of March 8.

As a junior in high school, I don’t feel as safe at school anymore, but arming my teachers would only make me feel less secure.

On average in Michigan, a public school teacher will make between $36,620 and $61,978, depending on their experience, according to michiganradio.org. Also, the current debt in the United States is over $20 trillion — and rising — as shown on the U.S. Debt Clock.

So who is going to pay for these teachers’ weapons and continuous training?

To cut teachers pay even more or add to our nation’s debt hardly seems like the right answer — if there was a right answer to begin with.

Since I am currently in high school, I have come to learn the average mentality and maturity of a high school student.

Yes, hypothetically the teacher could keep the weapon in a locked drawer, but there is always the possibility of the teacher forgetting to lock it up correctly or a student breaking into the safe to get the gun.

Personally, I would feel on edge sitting in a room full of teenagers with a gun thinking it would be funny to joke around with it.

Having multiple guns in a school is simply asking for something bad to happen.

The extra responsibility and mental strain that would be put on a teacher would be extreme.

When thinking logically, it’s easy for people to say what they would do or how brave they’d be in a scenario like a school shooting. But when it’s actually happening and adrenaline is pumping, mistakes are bound to happen.

By the time a teacher would unlock the safe, get the gun, and load the gun, the potential threat could already be in the room.

Also, as the teacher is retrieving the gun, a student could take the gun — whether it be them trying to play “hero” or causing harm themselves — and potentially hurt more students or school faculty. A teacher could also panic and accidentally injure someone who isn’t the attacker.

We would be asking a teacher to be OK with taking the life of a child.

We are asking them to see someone that they know — and most likely watched grow up — and be able to hold up a gun and kill them.

Yes, right now people can say they could do that no problem, but in the moment, right when it comes down to it, not many people could look at someone and pull the trigger.

I find it terrifying that this idea has even surfaced as a real option, the concept is asinine. Fighting violence with violence and arguing over the dangers of guns while bringing in more guns is not the answer.

We should have more security guards, metal detectors, and police patrolling the school grounds.

We should have bullet proof doors and mental health classes.

However, we should not bring guns into the classroom.

Emma Gonzalez, a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, gave an empowering speech on Feb. 17 regarding the shooting at her school, the lack of action in government, and the issue of gun control.

At one point in her speech, Gonzalez quoted something she read in the point of view of a teacher.

It read: “When adults tell me I have the right to own a gun, all I can hear is my right to own a gun outweighs your student’s right to live. All I hear is mine, mine, mine, mine.”

The lives of students are at stake, and I believe that adding more guns to a problem that was elevated by the use of guns is not the answer for our school or for our country.

Due to recent school shootings and other dangerous episodes in schools across the nation, many people have come to ask the question of whether or not teachers should be able to carry guns on school grounds.

People are weighing the possible benefits of carrying guns — extra protection for those who spend the majority of their time in school buildings — and the possible negatives — having more guns available to the public.

Since incidents like Sandy Hook and the Parkland shooting, students across the country have been paranoid and worried about the reality of shooters coming into their schools.

While there are many questions to answer and obstacles to work through about firearms in classrooms, I think that teachers being trained and armed would be one of the safest options in regard to students’ well-being.

Teachers should be given the opportunity to be trained on how to safely carry guns in case of emergency.

They should have the ability to protect their students from outside threats. With proper training and comprehension on the power a gun holds, there is no reason as to why a teacher can’t have the option to be armed.

While teachers should not be forced to carry to keep a job, they should have the ability to do so if they are aware of the risks and are confident in their abilities.

There are many teachers who already have training and who are already comfortable being around firearms.

They understand gun safety and are aware of the effect a gun can have when in a public setting.

Teachers who hunt, or who have had past training with guns, should be permitted to carry.

They are aware of how to safely use a gun, and in case of emergency, they would be able to keep students safe and secure in ways they possibly couldn’t without the use of a firearm.

If my teachers were armed, I would feel much safer in case of a lockdown or any other situation that requires extra safety precautions.

Knowing that my teacher had the tools to keep me, my peers, and themselves safe would make me feel much more comfortable when coming to school.

If a dangerous person entered the school, the majority of people would be terrified. The situation could last for hours and could easily turn into a nearly unbearable experience.

If teachers had guns available to them if a situation like this occurred, it could ease some students’ fears.

Without guns or some form of similar protection, teachers and students are left helpless in the face of danger.

Not being able to protect yourself in case of threat is a terrible feeling and if teachers were armed, that feeling could be eliminated.

I am in no way saying that because someone is a teacher, they should have unlimited freedom when it comes to possessing and using guns.

Teachers should be subject to tests and background checks just like everyone else should be when attempting to purchase guns.

The purchase of guns should be made more strict. If teachers can pass this strict testing and are not deemed unable to handle a firearm,  I see no reason as to why they should not be able to use said gun to protect their surroundings in a hostile environment.

Guns are not something that should be taken lightly. They are weapons, and should be used for protection and safety.

The possible threat that hangs over schools every day is alarming, and something needs to be done about it.

If teachers can be trained and can learn to protect themselves, their coworkers, and their students, school may not be as stressful to those who have been affected by the recent school shootings.

As a student living in an age where school shootings are becoming more and more common, I would like teachers to become more experienced in the use of guns. It would ease some of the tension that appears every time a rumor, a loud noise, or a visitor appears in school.

If teachers had a stronger ability to protect themselves and their students with the use of a gun, that is just one more way to ensure everyone’s safety if an outside threat ever made it’s way into the school.

There is obviously something wrong with the safety of American schools. Something needs to change and the introduction of guns as protection in classrooms could save lives and keep students feeling secure.