Many mass shootings have occurred in this country recently: more than 40 in 2018 alone, according to gunviolencearchive.org. In response, some have come up with solutions that are conceived in the heat of the moment.

One thing being discussed is allowing teachers to have concealed carry in schools, which are gun free zones. These teachers would be trained and be registered FOID (Firearm Owners Identification) card carriers, which on the surface seems like an idea that would increase safety in schools. But there are a lot of factors that go into allowing teachers concealed carry rights on school grounds. This proposal raises more questions than answers.

Will they carry the firearms on them at all times? If the teachers don’t carry at all times, what happens if an incident occurs and they are unarmed? This situation would put the teachers in a predicament that would nullify them having the gun to begin with. Even if the teachers carry at all times, there is no guarantee that they will even be effective in those moments.

What if a student makes a sudden move at you? If a student makes a move toward a teacher, whether intending harm or not, does that justify pulling out your firearm and aiming at a student? If teachers stay armed during the entire day, and they misread a situation, there is very little stopping them from shooting, and potentially killing a student. Just because these teachers are trained and licensed does not mean that they will be well-oiled machines of defense. Police officers go through much more rigorous training and are still capable of making mistakes, like when Officer Todd Archer of Montgomery County, Maryland, accidentally shot an unarmed driver of a car while trying to break a window. Even police officers are still susceptible to human error.

The proposed solutions are too simple and not all the way thought through well enough to be implemented into our schools. There are too many variables involved for this plan to carry out its desired goal, which is to make schools safer from guns. You don’t do that by letting more guns into schools.

This matter of gun control will not be solved in one action, whether that is by arming teachers, or banning assault weapons entirely as some have proposed. This issue will not go away. People and their children are dying; this issue should not be minimized or taken lightly.