- Question
Should schools have armed security guards?
Should schools be protected by armed security guards? This entry sets out the two positions on the question — that schools should have armed guards, and that they should not — weighing safety against the risks of guns on campus.
Position 1 of 2
Read this position →Yes, schools should have armed security guards
This position holds that an armed presence on campus both deters attackers and shortens the interval before an armed response arrives, which is the period in which most harm occurs, and that schools should not be left the one undefended public place.
Position 2 of 2
Read this position →No, schools should not have armed security guards
This position holds that armed guards introduce new dangers into a school - accidents, escalation and the disproportionate policing of some pupils - while doing little to deter a determined attacker, and that they change what a school feels like.