Majority of Americans believe schools would be safer if teachers were allowed to carry a firearm, new poll reveals
- The majority of Americans believe schools would be safer if teachers were given the option to carry a firearm, a new poll has revealed
- The poll, conducted by The Economist and YouGov, asked nearly 1,500 citizens from both political parties if they were in favor of giving guns to schoolteachers
- Among all surveyed, 51 percent said they support the idea – with the 31 percent saying they ‘strongly’ favor it, and 20 percent voting they favor it ‘somewhat’
- Meanwhile, just 37 percent said they oppose such a measure, with 14 percent saying they oppose the idea ‘somewhat,’ and 23 percent saying they oppose
- With that said, Democrats were much more open to the concept of firearms in schools if carried by those trained to use them, such as an armed guard
- Democrats’ response was much more positive to such a measure, with nearly half of those polled – 48 percent – saying they would support it
- A further 40 percent of the 1,494 questioned – roughly 597 people – asserted they were still against the concept
- Among all respondents from all political parties, armed guards were favored by a stark margin of 62 percent to 27 percent
The majority of Americans believe schools would be safer if teachers were allowed the option to carry a firearm, a new poll has revealed – with even Democrats conceding guns should be allowed on campuses across the country.
In the wake of last week’s mass school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, a poll conducted by The Economist and YouGov asked nearly 1,500 respondents from both political parties if they were in favor of giving guns to schoolteachers and administrators.
Among all surveyed, 51 percent said they support the idea – with the 31 percent saying they ‘strongly’ favor it, and 20 percent voting they favor it ‘somewhat.’
Meanwhile, just 37 percent said they oppose the idea – with 14 percent saying they oppose the idea ‘somewhat,’ and 23 percent saying they were ‘strongly’ against it.
A further 12 percent – roughly 134 people – said they were undecided.
The survey – part of a larger study by the publication and research company – saw 1,489 people polled in total.
Most of those to vote in favor of the guidance were Republicans and Independents, who accounted for 73 percent and 54 percent of the vote.
Among Democrats, however, just 31 percent said they approve the sentiment – with 13 percent saying they favor it ‘strongly’ and 18 percent voting they favor it ‘somewhat.’
Moreover, a whopping 58 percent said they would reject such a policy.
The majority of Americans believe schools would be safer if teachers were allowed the option to carry a firearm, a new poll has revealed. The poll, conducted by The Economist and YouGov, asked 1,500 citizens from both political parties if they were in favor of giving guns to teachers
The results come on the heels of last week’s mass school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, which saw 19 kids and 2 adults killed by a teenage gunman who entered the school unhindered. The deadliest school shooting in more than a decade, it has inspired new debate on gun control
Children run to safety during a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School where a gunman killed nineteen children and two adults after entering the school unimpeded
Democrats, however, were much more open to the concept of firearms in schools if they were carried by those certified to use them, such as an armed guard.
When asked ‘Do you favor or oppose any of the following? Stationing armed guards at all schools,’ Democrats’ response was much more positive, with nearly half of those polled – 48 percent – saying they would support such a measure.
With that said, 40 percent of the 1,494 questioned – roughly 597 people – asserted they were still against the concept.
Among all respondents from all political parties, armed guards were favored by a stark margin of 62 percent to 27 percent.
The concept of arming teachers has been a topic of national discussion for more than a decade, after the National Rifle Association floated the idea following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012.
The shooting, conducted by then 20-year-old Adam Lanza – left 27 dead – 20 of whom were children between six and seven years old, as well as the gunman himself.
Another poll found that Democrats were much more open to the concept of firearms in schools if they were carried by those certified to use them, such as an armed guard, with nearly half of the 1,494 questioned saying they were in favor of such a measure
Among all respondents from both Democrats and Republicans, armed guards were favored by a stark margin of 62 percent to 27 percent, the publication and research company found
Cops are pictured close to the scene of Tuesday’s massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas
The massacre saw Lanza arrive to the school around 9.30am – after fatally shooting his mother at the family’s home – to find the doors were locked as part of a new safety feature However, he shot out a window to gain entrance.
The elementary school was placed in lockdown and students were ushered into restrooms and closets to hide.
Lanza then moved toward the kindergarten and first-grade classrooms first. In one of the classrooms, he shot all 14 kindergarteners and six first-graders.
By the time law enforcement arrived to the scene, 20 students and six staff members were dead. As law enforcement approached the 20-year-old, he shot himself.
The shooting at the Connecticut school was the deadliest America had ever seen, and harked back to the murders seen at Columbine in 1999, where twelfth-grade students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 students and one teacher.
Salvador Ramos, 18, a local high school student was named as the perpetrator of the May 24 attack. He purchased guns used in the massacre legally
In both cases, the firearms used in the attacks were purchased legally – with the Columbine killers obtaining them through Denver-area gun shows, and Lanza stealing the weapons from his parents.
In neither instance, was there an armed professional or teacher on school grounds.
The second-largest school shooting in US history, meanwhile, happened just days ago in Texas – when 18-year gunman Salvador Ramos killed 19 kids and 2 adults at Robb Elementary with a legally purchased AR-15 – renewing debate on the concept of gun control.
Following the shooting, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott argued that tightening gun laws was not a ‘real solution’ to gun violence – citing how cities like New York and Chicago see more shootings than schools in Texas.
‘I know people like to try to oversimplify this,’ Abbott said during a news briefing where he was asked whether there are any new gun laws he supports. ‘There are ‘real gun laws’ in NY. There are real gun laws in California. I hate to say this – but there are more people who were shot every weekend in Chicago than in schools in Texas.
‘People need to realize – who think well maybe we can just implement tougher gun laws, it’s gonna solve it – Chicago and LA and New York disprove that thesis,’ the governor said.
‘What you’re talking about its not a real solution. Our job is to come up with real solutions we can implement.’
Texas Gov. Abbott said that tightening gun laws is not a ‘real solution’ to gun violence because places like New York and Chicago see more shootings than schools in Texas
Abbott laid blame for the school shooting not on the state’s lax gun laws but on the ‘mental health crisis’ it was facing.
He said he asked a group of Texas sheriffs what the ‘problem’ was, claiming they told him: ‘We have a problem with mental health illness in this community.’
‘We as a state, we as a society, need to do a better job with mental health. Anybody who shoots somebody else has a mental health challenge. Period,’ Abbott said.
‘We as a government need to find a way to…do something about it’
The tragedy came days after another mass shooting – this one at a Buffalo Topps supermarket, which saw 10 killed by Payton Gendron, also 18. He also used an AR-15 in the attack that had been purchased legally.
The supermarket where the attack took place had armed personnel stationed at the store. However, they still failed to subdue the gunman.
The concept of arming teachers has been a topic of national discussion for more than a decade, after the National Rifle Association floated the idea following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012, which saw 26 killed – 20 of whom were kids under seven
Parents and police are pictured outside Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, after the massacre – the deadliest school shooting in US history
With that said, many still believe that guns would save lives if allowed inside schools in proper hands – including JT Lewis, whose six-year-old brother Jesse was one of the 26 people killed at Sandy Hook.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Lewis, now a US school safety advocate, turned his attention to advocacy efforts, and met both presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump where he discussed plans to implement improved security in the schools – namely by allowing the presence of armed guards and peace officers.
In 2018, Lewis was invited to the Trump White House for the release of a federal report on school safety in the aftermath of shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida – the third deadliest shooting in US history.
Twenty of those killed at Sandy Hook were children between the ages of six and seven years old. One of those victims was JT Lewis’ (left) brother, Jesse (right), who has since become a school safety advocate, pushing for there to be armed guards at every school in the country
In 2019, at just 19-years-old, Lewis ran an unsuccessful campaign as a Republican for Connecticut State Senate (pictured with former president Donald Trump). He says US schools if guns are allowed in trained and capable hands
In 2019, at just 19-years-old, Lewis ran an unsuccessful campaign as a Republican for Connecticut State Senate, challenging incumbent Republican state Senator Tony Hwang.
In his campaign video announcing his run, Lewis said he was running in honor of his brother.
Lewis, now 22, argues that despite the recent slew of shootings, gun ownership is an integral part of American culture and taking away guns is not a realistic solution.
‘The truth is that we have more guns than citizens in America. Guns are part of our culture and they are not going away. Gun control is not the end all solution – we are not going to get rid of them,’ he said. ‘We also have to be careful about implementing new gun control laws – without infringing on Second Amendment rights.’
Lewis said the focus should instead be on increasing school security and treating potentially dangerous people before they can act.
‘Obviously, we want to keep guns out of the hands of troubled youth like those in Sandy Hook or Uvalde or Parkland, but the fact is that in all of these instances these shooters have fallen through the cracks.’
‘It is the falling through the cracks that we need to address. There were so many warnings signs that local police missed, we need to talk about that.’
The shooting at the Connecticut school was the deadliest America had ever seen, and harked back to the murders seen at Columbine in 1999, where twelfth-grade students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold (pictured in school surveillance footage) killed 10 students and three adults
He added: ‘There is a better way than having to sacrifice our freedoms for safety. We should be protecting our schools and supermarkets just like we protect our airports and banks and politicians – with guards.’
Other polls show that most Americans agree with Lewis’ assessment.
One such survey, conducted by the Trafalgar Group, found that 57.5 percent of likely 2022 general election voters feel that schools would be safer if teachers had the option of being armed and properly trained.
Just 30 percent said the opposite – with the rest remaining unsure.
Other polls show that most Americans agree with Lewis’ assessment. On such survey (pictured), conducted by the Trafalgar Group, found that 57.5 percent of likely 2022 general election voters feel that schools would be safer if teachers had the option of being armed
The series of school shootings since Sandy Hook: The US’ decade-long epidemic that’s seen nearly 100 students’ lives snuffed out
By Alyssa Guzman for DailyMail.com
SANDY HOOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, DECEMBER 2012: 27 DEAD, 2 INJURED
Adam Lanza, 20, killed 20 elementary school students at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, the largest school shooting in the US
In December 2012, the deadliest school shooting in America took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
Lanza arrived to the school with three guns – a semi-automatic AR-15 assault rifle, and two pistols after killing his mother, Nancy – with whom, he reportedly only communicated via email.
When he arrived to the school around 9.30am, the doors were locked as part of a new safety feature the school had recently rolled out. He allegedly ‘shot the entrance into the building,’ according to CNN.
The school psychologist and vice principal went to investigate after hearing ‘popping’ noises and the psychologist was shot by Lanza.
The elementary school was placed in lockdown and students were ushered into restrooms and closets to hide.
Lanza moved toward kindergarten and first-grade classrooms first. In one of the classrooms, he shot all 14 kindergarteners and six first-graders.
By the time law enforcement arrived to the scene, 20 students and six staff members were killed.
Little angels and stuffed animals lined the dirt in honor of the elementary schoolchildren who died in the shooting
As law enforcement approached the 20-year-old, he shot himself.
Although his motive is unknown, Lanza’s old writings were discovered years later and shed light into the young man’s mind. He had written to a fellow gamer that he had a ‘scorn for humanity’ and had been ‘desperate to feel anything positive for someone for my entire life.’
A child advocate’s for the state of Connecticut also said Lanza had severe mental health problems and suffered from anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder and was on the autism spectrum. He was also preoccupied with violence, according to CBS News.
With ease of access to his mother’s weapons and being home-schooled, the advocate said it was ‘proved a recipe for mass murder.’
MARYSVILLE PILCHUCK HIGH SCHOOL, OCTOBER 2014: 4 DEAD, 1 INJURED
Jaylen Fryberg, 17, killed his four ‘ride or die’ friends at lunch in October 2014 and said he ‘needed to do this’
Marysville student Jaylen Fryberg, 17, gathered his friends around a table in the Washington state’s school cafeteria and shot each of them in the head one-by-one to take them to ‘the other side,’ in October 2014. He shot them with a ‘blank stare’ and shot them ‘left to right.’
Fryberg had sent a photo of the handgun to a friend just moments before he would open fire, killing four. He told the person he texted to call him before he did ‘the thing.’
After shooting the four students as others watched on, he shot himself as a teacher ran toward him, the Washington Post reported.
The teen had methodically planned the massacre, even leaving a note for his parents with his funeral arrangements and what to do with his assets, if he had any.
He had texted his father: ‘Read the paper on my bed. Dad, I love you.’
Students hug and cry after the shooting that took the lives of four and injured one
Inside the note, he told his parents he wanted to be ‘fully dressed in Camo in my casket’ and all his ‘trust money or whatever goes to my brother.’
Fryberg also apologized to his friends’ parents, but said he needed ‘ride or dies with me on the other side.’
‘I LOVE YOU FAMILY! I really do! More then anything,’ he wrote. ‘I needed to do this tho[ugh]…I wasn’t happy. And I need my crew with me too. I’m sorry. I love you.’
UMPQUA COMMUNITY COLLEGE, OCTOBER 2015: 9 DEAD, 9 INJURIED
Student Christopher Harper-Mercer, 26, killed himself after the shooting
Student Christopher Harper-Mercer, 26, opened fire in Snyder Hall at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, in October 2015 around 10.45am.
He killed eight students and one teacher before police arrived. Authorities and Mercer engaged in a brief shootout, before Mercer turned the gun on himself and took his own life.
More weapons were found in his apartment, which he shared with his mother, and he had handed a student a USB drive with his manifesto on it.
‘It’s pretty well laid out that he was a dejected failure,’ Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin said at the time. ‘The only thing that I can conclude from it is he was mentally and emotionally ill.’
His manifesto detailed a life of a lonely virgin, who self-described himself as the ‘most hated person in the world’ and said he hated black men, whom he said only cared about their ‘penises.’
Mercer also reportedly said he was constantly ‘under siege’ by ‘morons and idiots,’ the Oregonian reported.
Mercer wrote: ‘What was it that was supposed to happen, what great event was it that was supposed to make me realize how much there was going for me?
‘But for people like me there is another world, a darker world that welcomes us. For people like us this all that’s left. My success in Hell is assured.’
Police arrived on campus in bulletproof vests and rifles after Mercer killed eight students and one teacher
Hundreds gathered for a vigil for victims of a mass shooting at Umpqua Community College
The young man also reportedly said he was ‘denied’ everything he deserved and likened himself the Columbine High School, Virginia Tech, and Sandy Hook shooters.
‘Though we may have been born bad. Society left us no recourse, no way to be good,’ he reportedly wrote.
‘I have been forced to align myself with demonic forces. What was once an involuntary relationship has now become an alignment, a service. I now serve the demonic Heirarchy(sic). When I die will become one of them. A demon. And I will return to kill again and again.’
NORTH PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, APRIL 2017: 2 DEAD, 1 INJURED
Cedric Anderson, 53, shot and killed his wife at North Park Elementary, killing one student and injuring one other
Cedric Anderson, 53, entered the San Bernardino, California, school around 10.30am in April 2017, where his wife Karen Elaine Smith, also 53, worked as a special-education teacher.
He told administrators he was there to see his wife and walked into her classroom, which was positioned near the office.
He fired six shots from a Magnum revolver when he entered the classroom, killing his wife and an eight-year-old student and injuring another child. He reloaded the revolver and shot himself.
Although the motive is unknown, many suspected his wife – who had recently divorced him – was being abused, according to the San Bernardino Sun.
Since the shooting, her classroom IB, no longer exists. The classroom walls have been knocked down and it is now an open space for students to work on projects.
The school remodeled its building and outfitted every classroom with tempered glass windows, installed steel doors with locks on the inside, and a door that leads to the outside, which is mandated by law.
Although his motive is unknown, many suspect he abused his wife and that’s what led to their divorce
AZTEC HIGH SCHOOL, DECEMBER 2017: 2 DEAD, 0 INJURED
William Atchison, 21, shot and killed two students at Aztec High School
Former student William Atchison, 21, disguised himself as student and hide in a bathroom with a Glock on the second floor of the New Mexico school, according to Fox News.
The custodian reported ran down the hallways screaming about an active shooter and telling teachers to go into ‘lockdown.’
He killed a male student who walked into the bathroom before killing a girl in the hallway and then turned the gun on himself.
The shooter had left a manifesto on a USB drive that was found on his body, where he had allegedly wrote: ‘Work sucks, school sucks, life sucks. I just want out…’
Atchison had been on the FBI’s radar since 2016 after he allegedly asked in a forum: ‘Where to find cheap assault rifles for a mass shooting?’
He told investigators he just liked to troll online forums and authorities found that he was not in possession of any weapons at the time after interviewing him at his parent’s house.
MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLAS – PARKLAND, FEBRUARY 2018: 17 DEAD, 17 INJURIED
Nikolas Cruz, then 19, shot and killed 14 students and three staff members in February 2018. He pleaded guilty and now faces the death penalty
The now-third biggest school shooting in US history happened in February 2018 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Valentine’s Day.
Nikolas Cruz, then 19, shot and killed 14 students and three staff members and injured an additional 17.
The shooter, who was adopted, shot students with an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle. He began shooting students outside of the school before working his way inside, according to NBC News.
After the shooting, he slipped past authorities by hiding among the crowd running out of the school.
For years, Cruz was a subject of police attention as his parents had called 911 several times on him for being out of control and had been tripped off to the FBI about concerning behavior, NPR reported.
Starting when Cruz was 10 years old, his mother reported seeing violent behavior and had called the police after he and his other adopted brother Zach had gotten into a fight. She also reported Cruz had pushed her up against a wall after taking an X-Box game away and he had used a BB gun to shoot a chicken.
Students were ushered out of the building with their hands on each other’s backs after the Valentine’s day shooting
Hundreds of memorial items were gathered around the school sign after the shooting, which killed 17 and injured 17 others. It is the second largest school shooting in the US
After his mother died, he went to live with a family friend and had reportedly gotten in a fight with their son.
He told police: ‘The thing is, I lost my mother a couple days ago. So like, I’m dealing with a bunch of things right now. I kind of got mad. And I started punching walls and stuff and a kid came at me and threw me on the ground. And he kicked me out of the house.’
The family claimed he put a gun to their son’s head and had done it to his adoptive mother as well before.
Cruz (pictured in 2022) was adopted and showed signs of violent behavior the age of 10
Cruz had also been expelled from two school, was self-harming and had reportedly been diagnosed with depression, NPR reported.
He pleaded guilty in October 2021 and now faces the death penalty.
SANTA FE HIGH SCHOOL, MAY 2018: 10 DIED, 12 INJURED
Dimitrios Pagourtzis, then 17, shot up Santa Fe High School and now awaits trial and faces up to 40 years in prison
Dimitrios Pagourtzis, then 17, killed 10 and injured 12 others at Santa Fe High School in Texas in May 2018.
A student said Pagourtzis hid a shotgun and a handgun under his trench coat before opening fire in a first-period art class.
The then-student told police he did not kill anyone he liked because he wanted them to be able to tell the story, AP reported.
Authorities say Pagourtzis planned the killings, carried out with weapons owned by his father. Though Pagourtzis allegedly wrote about his intention to carry out the attack, authorities have not indicated a motive for the violence.
Although the motive is unknown, a student’s mother said her daughter had rejected Pagourtzis romantically and her daughter, Shana Fisher, had made clear that she was not interested in him.
Police gather outside the high school, where 10 died and 12 were injured
‘He continued to get more aggressive,’ the mother told AP. ‘She finally stood up to him and embarrassed him.’
The incident took place one week before the shooting and it is unclear if that drove Pagourtzis to kill.
Police also said they found multiple IEDs, pressure cookers, Molotov cocktails, pipe bombs, propane tanks, and other homemade explosives near the school and parking lot after the shooting.
He had engaged in a 25-minute shootout with police before surrendering after being injured.
Pagourtzis is currently awaiting trial. He faces 40 years in prison.
SAUGUS HIGH SCHOOL, NOVEMBER 2018: 2 DEAD, 3 INJURED
Nathaniel Berhow, 16, attempted suicide after the shooting and later died in the hospital
Nathaniel Berhow, 16, killed two students and injured two others at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, California, in November 2018.
Authorities said the attack was planned, but the victims were chosen at random.
‘It was a planned attack; it was deliberate. He knew how many rounds he had, for example,’ Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said at the time, according to NBC Los Angeles.
Berhow was dropped off at the school by his mother and was standing in the quad alongside other students. Authorities said he was standing away from students and was still before moving toward the center of the quad, where he dropped his backpack and began firing at students.
He shot five people in 16 seconds, NBC Los Angeles reported.
Berhow also shot himself in an attempted suicide and was taken to the hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
The motive for the attack is still unknown.
Students mourned outside the high school after the shooting that killed two and injured three
OXFORD HIGH SCHOOL, NOVEMBER 2021: 4 DIED, 7 INJURED
Ethan Crumbley, 15, faces life in prison and is scheduled to go to trial in September
The most recent well-known school shooter is 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley, who opened fire at Oxford High School in Michigan after a guidance counseling meeting with his parents at the school.
Four students were killed and seven more people were injured in the shooting.
Crumbley had a meeting with school administrators, and his mother was contacted via voicemail by the school about her son’s inappropriate ammunition-related internet search.
According to the prosecutor, the mother and father also failed to ask Ethan if he had his gun with him, or where his gun was, and did not inspect his backpack.
Instead, the teen returned to class and the shooting occurred later.
His parents were also arrested after a large-scale manhunt. James and Jennifer were captured in the basement of a building in Detroit, less than half a mile from the Canadian border.
All the Crumbleys are being held at the Oakland County Jail. His parents are currently facing trial for four counts of manslaughter and have requested their trial be moved out of Oakland County.
Ethan is awaiting trial, which is schedule for September, and he faces life in prison.
Students gather around the school sign to place flowers after the shooting that killed four and injured seven others
James and Jennifer Crumbley also face trial and have recently requested their trial be moved out of Oakland County
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