SHOULD SCHOOLTEACHERS CARRY GUNS?

On March 13, 2018; Dennis Alexander, a math teacher at Seaside High School (Monterey County, California) brought his gun to class to give his students a lecture on gun safety. During his lecture, Mr. Alexander’s gun accidentally discharged, firing a bullet into the ceiling. A piece of the ceiling flew off, hitting a 17 year old male student and lodging in his neck. The student was taken to the hospital and is expected to recover. Mr. Alexander is very experienced in gun use. He is a reserve police officer and a member of the Seaside city council. He supports President Trump’s call to arm schoolteachers who, like himself, have gun training. I teach American history at Orinda Intermediate School, and my students are unanimously opposed to arming teachers (including me!)

Should College Students Be Allowed To Bring Loaded Guns To Class?

I teach history one day a week at Orinda Intermediate School, and I come unarmed. Teachers in California are not allowed to bring guns into public schools, but teachers in Texas and several other states can bring loaded guns to class. And in some states, college students are also allowed to bring guns to class. A few weeks ago, Liberty University, the largest religiousaffiliated school in the U.S., announced that students can now bring loaded guns into classrooms at the school’s Lynchburg, Virginia campus as long as they have an easy-to-obtain Virginia concealed weapons permit. University staff and visitors may also carry firearms on campus. Liberty joins 25 other colleges in Virginia, Colorado, Utah, and Michigan that allow staff and students  to carry concealed firearms on campus. Liberty University is a Christian institution founded by television evangelist Jerry Falwell. Liberty University students are STILL prohibited from watching R-rated movies, listening to ‘un-Godly music’, dancing, kissing, or staying in a motel room with a member of the opposite sex, as outlined in the school’s student handbook. Doing any of these things can result in disciplinary action, including expulsion from the university.


The University of California does not allow students to bring guns to class, but Cal students are allowed to dance, kiss, and watch R-rated movies. Furthermore, I am reliably informed that Cal students have been known to stay in motel rooms with members of the opposite sex. Anyway, that’s the rumor.