(Headline USA) A majority of Americans said they believe arming teachers and properly training them would make schools safer, according to a new poll.
The survey, conducted by the Trafalgar Group in the wake of the Uvalde, Texas, school mass shooting last week, shows that 58% of likely 2022 voters support arming teachers with guns rather than restricting their access to firearms. Just 30.8% of voters said the opposite.
Republican voters were more likely to support arming teachers (67.5%), while only a plurality of Democrats (48.2%) agreed. Still, the large number of Democrat voters who agree that restricting access to firearms would be even more of a safety hazard is notable, said Convention of States Action President Mark Meckler.
“No shooting at a school is going to be stopped by gun control laws,” Meckler said in a statement.
“They are going to be stopped by a variety of fairly simple on-site measures, including arming law-abiding citizens–in this case specifically teachers–and empowering them to protect our children, schools, and communities.
“A majority of voters see this clearly, despite the relentless propaganda by people who want to confiscate the guns of law-abiding citizens,” he said.
The 2nd Amendment and the right to self-defense is a “bedrock of this republic and our Constitution,” he continued.
“The Founders were clear that defending those we love is the responsibility of the citizen first. So many deaths have been prevented by armed citizens, so why would we question the voluntary training and arming of teachers to protect those we love and care for the most?” he added.
While Democrats have renewed their push for gun control in the wake of the Uvalde shooting, Republicans have urged states to consider passing policies that would make schools safer, including one-way entry doors and armed guards. Democrats have thus far rejected these solutions.
