Teachers from around the world have expressed outrage at Donald Trump’s call for teachers to be armed in order to protect pupils from school shootings.
Speaking at a meeting with survivors of mass shootings yesterday, the US president suggested that around a fifth of teachers could receive special training and carry concealed weapons.
WATCH: Donald Trump calling for teachers to be armed (via CNN):
Mr Trump said that the average school shooting lasted three minutes, but police response times averaged from five to eight minutes.
He referred to his plan as “concealed carry”.
‘A teacher would have a concealed gun on them’
The president said: “This only works when you have people very adept at using firearms, of which you have many, and it would be teachers and coaches.
“A teacher would have a concealed gun on them. They’d go for special training and you would no longer have a gun-free zone. Gun-free zones to a maniac, because they’re all cowards, it lets them go in and attack because bullets aren’t coming back. It’s certainly a point we’ll discuss, concealed carry for teachers.”
But US teachers reacted with outrage and dismay on Twitter:
I don’t think Trump asked educators if they wanted to be armed in their classrooms.... For me, as a teacher:
As did school leaders in the UK, like Katharine Birbalsingh, headteacher of Michaela Community School, in north-west London:
Teachers are facilitators of learning, social workers, parents, cleaners, speakers, oh and teachers too. Now let’s add marksmen to the list! Will American teachers have a few weeks of gun training during their PGCEs? Has the world gone mad?? https://t.co/L9txBWIo6G
And these feelings were echoed by fellow professionals in Australia:
As a teacher, sometimes it feels like my responsibilities to my kids goes beyond what should be necessary...but #Trump has gone next level idiot suggesting American teachers all carry guns. #Merica#GunLawsNOW#GunReformNow
As a teacher, I’d like to say, Trump has an inability to understand teachers in schools to educate, not to create a military zone or prison. Worst thing I can thing of, are children and guns
Other UK education leaders were similarly unimpressed by the idea:
Oh no.....utterly insane and entirely predictable. Why not arm 10th grade students upwards too Mr President? Maybe a PSHE subject? https://t.co/BSwhcyVORp
Meanwhile, one (spoof) multi-academy trust leader said his school was intimidating enough already, thanks to his management style, without the presence of guns:
I arm SLT with clipboards and that’s quite enough to intimidate teachers and children...https://t.co/EDDtfnHcfP
