Chances are you have a strong opinion on this issue.

And chances are you know someone who disagrees with you.

The Yeas

Utah is one of seven states (along with Alabama, Georgia, Kansas, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Texas) that currently allow teachers (and others) to carry concealed weapons into schools, and teacher Kasey Hansen, for one, is glad about it. As she says, teachers "are the first line of defense. Someone is going to call the cops and they are going to be informed, but how long is it going to take for them to get to the school? And in that time how many students are going to be affected by the gunman roaming the halls?" (source).

Quite the chilling visual, Ms. Hansen. But there's some reasoning there. Hansen obtained her concealed-carry permit after Sandy Hook, determined to be prepared should she ever have to stand between a shooter and her students.

North Dakota representative Dwight Kiefert agrees with Hansen's assessment that it's important to be prepared in case it takes a while for law enforcement officials to reach a school in a lockdown situation. As he puts it, teachers should be able to carry guns because "we have rural schools that are 30 miles away from law enforcement, so we are trying to address the response time [to a potential shooting]. Because by the time law enforcement gets there, it won't be a rescue anymore" (source).

Let's get one more opinion here. Patrick Neville, a Colorado representative who was a student at Columbine High School back in 1999, believes that knowing teachers may be armed could act as a deterrent for potential shooters. In introducing a 2015 bill to allow anyone with a concealed weapons permit to carry weapons on school grounds in Colorado, Neville stated, "The only thing that is going to stop murderers intent on doing harm is to give good people the legal authority to carry a gun to protect themselves and our children" (source).

In an NPR story on his bill, Neville, who was present at Columbine High during the notorious shooting, added, "I truly believe that had some of them [his teachers] had the legal authority to be armed, more of my friends might be with me today" (source).

Very moving—and compelling, too. But that's just one side of the argument.

The Nays

In the NEA Today article "Arming Educators—A Bad Idea That Hasn't Gone Away," Tim Walker notes a major concern about teachers bringing their guns to school. Namely, that a split-second misjudgment or an accident could turn an otherwise manageable situation fatal. A student could gain control of a teacher's gun, or a teacher who is inadequately trained to handle a firearm in a delicate situation could turn that situation deadly.

While proponents of teachers carrying guns suggest that teachers would be trained to handle not only their firearms, but difficult situations, too, National School Safety and Security President Ken Trump doesn't think it would be enough. As he says, "Suggesting that by providing staff with 8, 16, 40, or even 60 hours of firearms training on firing, handling, and holstering a gun somehow makes a non-law enforcement officer suddenly qualified to provide public safety services is a high-risk to the safety of students, teachers, and other school staff" (source).

Another argument presented against gun-toting teachers is that requiring teachers to act as security guards could degrade the level of education offered in schools. As school safety expert Bill Bond of the National Association of Secondary School Principals puts it, "Teachers are in schools to teach. When you ask them to be security guards, you are distracting them from their jobs" (source). Whether it's keeping track of that weapon or worrying about the possibility of using it, the distractions could definitely take a toll on getting through math class.

Where do the Big Teachers' Unions Stand?

In 2012, the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association issued a press release in which the presidents of each organization (Dennis Van Roekel and Randi Weingarten, respectively), came out against the idea of arming teachers.

As they said, "Guns have no place in our schools. Period. We must do everything we can to reduce the possibility of any gunfire in schools, and concentrate on ways to keep all guns off school property and ensure the safety of children and school employees," (source). Well, that's that.

As an alternative, Van Roekel and Weingarten emphasized the importance of prevention, suggesting that a better solution to the problem of school violence would be expanded investment in mental health services. That would include increased funding for school counselors, social workers, and psychologists—positions they indicated had been cut in previous years due to lack of funding.

Where Do States Stand?

Between mid-2014 and spring of 2015, over twenty states considered bills to allow guns in K-12 schools and on college campuses. It's clear that the post-Sandy Hook era has people scrambling to figure out the best way to combat and prevent gun violence in schools.

At present, most states prohibit guns in K-12 schools, although according to the NEA Today article "States Look to Throw Open School Doors to Concealed Weapons," there are 11 states where concealed-carry permit holders can bring their guns to school.

To check current gun laws in your state and others, visit The Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. You can probably guess from their URL which side of the issue they're on. But regardless of your point of view, you can get the state-by-state gun law skinny here.

If That's Not Enough for You

We've located a few more places for you to find opinions on both sides of the issue and, if you're so inclined, to share your own.

• You and your students can respond to KQED's March 2015 "Do Now" question—Should Teachers Carry Weapons?—and read over 200 responses from others.

• Debate.org allows you to offer your own yea or nay in answer to the question, "Should teachers carry guns in school?" You can state your opinion, offer a supporting argument or two, and peruse other opinions, offering a thumbs up or a comment as you see fit.

Wherever you fall on the debate, knowing both sides of the issue and being aware of the issue of school violence (which you can read a lot more about right here) can help you be prepared to take care of your students. And we'll just keep our fingers crossed that that will just mean taking care of a skinned knee or a few tears after a low score on a math test.