Studies: arming teachers less effective against school shooters than other measures - Entrepreneur Generations

"Arming teachers to protect against school shootings is likely less effective than other safety measures, including laws that hold gun owners responsible when minors get a hold of negligently stored firearms, according to research reviewed for the Rockefeller Institute of Government, the public policy research arm of the State University of New York," Kate Queram reports for Route Fifty.

The notion of arming teachers has been an increasingly popular one in recent years, especially in rural areas where gun ownership is higher and many schools fear they're too far away for law enforcement to reach in time.

"While no data exist to support the assertion that the presence of armed individuals has been or would be successful in stopping school shootings, there is evidence that indicates such a policy would fail to meet its intended goals," writes Jaclyn Schildkraut, an assistant professor of criminal justice at the SUNY Oswego. 

Because one might assume that an armed civilian would be overall less accurate with a firearm than a law enforcement officer, Schildkraut examined researched studying law enforcement officers' accuracy rates in firearm discharges. One study found that officers' bullets hit their targets around 20 percent of the time over two decades, a figure that remained steady despite improvements in weaponry and tactical training. Another study of New York City police officers involved in active shooter incidents found that the officers' accuracy was 30 percent when no one was shooting back at them, and 18 percent when someone was shooting back at them.

A person's ability to accurately fire a gun during a stressful situation is hampered by the body's physical response to stress, even after tactical training such as officers receive. "Civilians receive considerably less firearms training in general as compared to law enforcement officers and such instruction does not typically include stress-inducing simulations," Schildkraut writes. "Thus, it is conceivable that their accuracy rate during a shooting would be considerably lower, even if they were to receive more extensive training." Also, if civilians have guns during an active shooter situation, responding law enforcement officers have to spend extra time trying to figure out who is the shooter and who is an armed bystander.

Research shows that civilians have had greater success in ending active shooter situations without using a firearm. "In sum, the evidence suggests that arming teachers (and other civilians) not only could fail to deter a school shooter, it potentially could make these events more lethal. Schildkraut writes. 

from The Rural Blog https://ift.tt/2OUyFB3 Studies: arming teachers less effective against school shooters than other measures - Entrepreneur Generations

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