Starting in the year 2010, school shootings have risen consistently across the country, with 346 in 2023 alone. With a lengthy history of gun violence, citizens and teachers of Colorado are seeing a rise in weapons training for teachers and staff.  

Academy School District 20 in Colorado Springs has taken into consideration the training of teachers for the use of firearms. The general public has found many pros and cons with this pending firearm training.  Senior Dulce Rodriguez says she sees a need for the training,  “The pros could be found when we’re in a bad situation and it’s truly essential for our safety. It could also help them find confidence in caring for us and for our safety.” 

Many questions have been brought to light when it comes to teachers handling concealed firearms. More specifically, how the armed people would be able to keep their weapons out of the hands of students. Students also have mixed opinions on if they would feel safe knowing that teachers are armed in their school. Social studies teacher Kyle Brink says he feels weapons training is a necessary tool to keep students safe. He believes there could be a way to ensure gun safety if and when weapons are allowed on campus, “It would kind of have to come down to not really knowing what people in the school were armed, or four teachers to five different teachers are. We would have to be kept anonymous as to who has it.” 

Since District 20 consideration in training teachers is happening close to the Englewood School District, the talks about arming teachers and other topics involving firearms have been floating through the air, “it’s more and more students having talks about firearms,” Rodriguez said. 

Another question that has been asked time and time again is if bringing more weapons into the equations will provide a solution. Social studies teacher Sean Stetler is against guns in schools. He says weapons training would add more stress to his already busy teacher life and he believes more guns don’t equal more safety, “In this country, our solution to gun violence always seems to be more guns. And I don’t think that’s necessarily a strategy that is going to lead to less violence.”