JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – A Mississippi student is weighing in on the debate about arming teachers in an attempt to stop school shootings.
The most recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, sparked two major debates across the country; gun control and arming teachers.
Laura Renfroe just graduated from Pelahatchie High School and said despite the school’s efforts, safety has always been a concern for students.
“At the beginning of the year, the school uploads videos about Sandy Hook to educate the kids. There have definitely been times when I, and students around me, have felt anxious about it especially during school drills,” said Renfroe.
U.S. Representative Michael Guest believes that arming school staff will help stop school shootings, especially since an administrator was the one who shot the Pearl High school shooter back in 1997.
“Allow teachers to be armed in the classroom, not require teachers to be armed,” said Guest. “If we had people who are on site teachers, administrators who were trained tactically to deal with that situation, we would have a quicker response.”
But Renfroe said she, and other students, would not feel safe having guns inside their classrooms.
“It’s just overall a really big risk. I mean, you don’t want a gun available to a student or even another worker who has violent intent. I think overall, preventing school shootings is going to depend on gun laws,” said Renfroe.
Both agree that school districts can do more to ensure the safety of the students.
“Schools need to have more security with technology and security personnel. I think there also needs to be a sense of psychological safety implemented in schools. So, schools need to have a positive environment where mental health needs are addressed, and students feel safe to discuss their feelings,” said Renfroe.
“Many of our older schools, they may not have camera systems where an administrator can monitor what’s going on. Many of our schools have multiple entrances and exits. We need to make sure that with modern technology we can lock those things down with just the push of a button,” said Guest.
The congressman said these debates will likely reach Congress. He said he will support the option to arm and train teachers, but he will not support stricter federal gun laws.
Guest believes gun laws should be decided at the state and local level.