By M.D. Kittle
MADISON — A majority of voters say it’s time to allow trained and armed teachers to help protect America’s children from school shootings like the one in Uvalde, Texas, according to a new poll from Convention of States Action.
The poll of 1,000 likely voters, conducted May 25-29 by renowned pollster The Trafalgar Group, found 57.5% of those surveyed believe preventing properly trained school teachers and staff from carrying a firearm makes schools more dangerous.
Interestingly, 61.8 percent of 18-24 year old voters believe that preventing properly trained school teachers and school staff from carrying a firearm makes schools more dangerous.
“No shooting at a school is going to be stopped by gun control laws. 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,” said Mark Meckler, President of Convention of States Action.
“A majority of voters see this clearly, despite the relentless propaganda by people who want to confiscate the guns of law-abiding citizens.”
The COS poll, conducted after the May 27 elementary school shootings in Uvalde, shows a majority of Independents and Republicans, and nearly half of Democrats, favor arming trained teachers in schools.
- 1 percent of Independent voters believe that preventing properly trained school teachers and school staff from carrying a firearm makes schools more dangerous. 31.6 percent say less dangerous, and 11.3 percent are not sure.
- 5 percent of Republican voters believe that preventing properly trained school teachers and school staff from carrying a firearm makes schools more dangerous. 19.4 percent say less dangerous, and 13.1 percent are not sure.
- 2 percent of Democratic voters believe that preventing properly trained school teachers and school staff from carrying a firearm makes schools more dangerous. 41.3 percent say less dangerous, and 10.5 percent are not sure.
In the wake of the mass murders, President Joe Biden and Democrats have pushed sweeping gun-control laws. In an address to the nation last week, Biden said the Second Amendment “is not absolute.”
Democrats, looking at a tough mid-term election in November, are hoping their political gun control campaign will help soften anticipated losses at the polls. The political grandstanding has hit a fever pitch.
U.S. Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) on Thursday declared Democrats will abolish the Senate filibuster and pack the Supreme Court to pass more restrictions on guns. The Democrat majority in the House is looking to advance a package of gun bills this week.
That radical approach isn’t likely to sit well with many American voters, particularly those who value the long-standing right of self-defense.
“Self-defense is a bedrock of this Republic and our Constitution. The Founders were clear that defending those we love is the responsibility of the citizen first,” Meckler said. “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?”
