New Everytown Report Confirms Arming Teachers is Not Effective for Preventing School Shootings 

Arming Teachers Can Heighten Risks of Unintentional Shootings, Escalate Violence, and Deepen Classroom Inequities with No Evidence of Protective Benefits, According to New Report

Case Studies in Iowa, Oregon, and Tennessee Found That When Given the Choice, Many School Districts Have Chosen Not to Arm Teachers and Staff

NEW YORK – A new Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund report released today affirms that there is no evidence that arming teachers effectively deters gun violence in K-12 schools, nor reduces the lethality of a shooting once it occurs. 

Instead, the new report highlights the risks of introducing a firearm into a school setting for children, teachers, staff and communities writ large. It also underscores the fragmented legal landscape, low policy uptake among school districts in states that pass legislation allowing teachers to be armed, and limited awareness among school and community stakeholders of when teachers are armed.

“Our nation has been ravaged by dozens of school shootings this year and instead of taking basic steps to keep our children and school communities safe, leaders across the country are working to force more guns into the classroom,” said Sonali Rajan, senior director of research at Everytown for Gun Safety. “Our new report confirms that arming teachers does not prevent school shootings – in fact, this deeply unpopular policy often comes with added risks and traumas to students, while also diverting funding and resources from students and teachers.”

“As students, we already live with the fear that our classrooms could be next – the last thing we need is more guns where we’re supposed to be safe,” said Alice Ornes, a volunteer with Students Demand Action from Tennessee, where arming teachers legislation was passed in 2024. “This report reaffirms what we’ve always known: arming teachers won’t stop gun violence, it will only put us in greater danger. Instead of treating our schools like war zones and asking teachers to double down as armed guards, politicians should be listening to young people and investing in real solutions that reduce gun violence.” 

Despite the lack of proof of efficacy, lawmakers in 15 states have passed laws to authorize arming teachers in public schools. Drawing from a comprehensive review of the existing peer-reviewed research, an analysis of current arming teacher laws, a nationwide survey of more than 1,100 Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers, and local school district data from Iowa, Oregon, and Tennessee, Everytown’s new report outlines the following key findings:

1. Arming teachers comes with serious collateral risks, including unrealistic expectations for teachers in a crisis situation, increased likelihood of unintentional shootings, and detrimental impacts on the learning environment, particularly for students of color. The presence of firearms in classrooms also discourages students from reporting threats.
2. When given the choice, many of the school districts in the specific states surveyed – Iowa, Tennessee and Oregon – have chosen not to arm teachers and staff.
3. While policies differ from state to state, they frequently include similar concerning elements, including teacher training requirements that are significantly lower than training received by law enforcement, a lack of transparency regarding whether teachers are armed, and the introduction of new costs for schools.
4. The notion of a “highly trained” teacher armed with a gun is a myth, according to the report. In states that have laws aimed at arming school personnel, armed school staff are required to receive significantly less training than law enforcement, and in some of these states, the law does not specify any minimum amount of training at all. 
5. Shifting the responsibility of law enforcement onto teachers places additional financial, logistical, and legal burdens on schools – particularly in terms of insurance and liability.
6. A nationwide survey of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers found that most were affiliated with schools that had not adopted the practice, while one in five were unsure whether any teachers were armed. These findings point to the general unpopularity of the policy, as well as a broader lack of awareness and transparency around the presence of guns on school grounds.

The report outlines a series of evidence-informed recommendations legislators and law enforcement can take to create safer school environments, including repealing and stopping arming teachers legislation, passing and implementing secure storage and Red Flag laws, raising the minimum age to purchase semiautomatic firearms to 21, and requiring background checks on all gun sales. 

The report also details steps schools can take – with support from legislators and increased public funding –  to contribute to preventing gun violence in schools. These include: 

1. Informing parents about secure gun storage at home – roughly three-quarters of school shooters’ guns came from the home, per the U.S. Secret Service;
2. Fostering a safe and trusting school climate for all students, ensuring sufficient mental health counselors, and; 
3. Initiating trauma-informed emergency planning, and implementing trauma-informed crisis intervention programs to help schools identify and de-escalate dangerous situations, among others.