March 16 (UPI) — A new survey Friday said nearly three-quarters of teachers and educators oppose the notion of carrying guns in schools.
The Gallup poll was conducted after President Donald Trump proposed that teachers be armed following the Feb. 14 shooting at a South Florida high school.
According to the poll, 73 percent of teachers said they are against the idea.
The survey also showed 58 percent said carrying guns in schools would make schools less safe. Eighteen percent said they would be willing to carry a gun in school buildings.
Trump, along with the National Rifle Association, advocates for the policy with the slogan: “To stop a bad guy with a gun, it takes a good guy with a gun.”
The poll says U.S. teachers overwhelmingly disagree with the two main arguments for arming teachers — that it would make schools safer and limit casualties during a shooting.
Only 20 percent of teachers think it would make schools safer and 22 percent said it would make no difference. Less than 30 percent said arming teachers would be very or somewhat effective, while 71 percent say it would not be effective.
In contrast, recent Gallup research showed 42 percent of Americans favor arming teachers and staff. Better background checks and better active shooter training for first responders have almost unanimous support.
When teachers were asked if they would be willing to go through special training to carry a gun, only 18 percent said yes. A quarter said they own a gun — a group Gallup found four times as likely as non-gun owners to say they would take the training, if offered.
The findings were based on a survey of 497 U.S. school teachers. It has a margin of error of 7 points.
