Letter: Arming teachers isn’t going to eliminate the danger around us
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Detective Scott Russell of the South Jordan Police Department on duty at Bingham High School in South Jordan, where he serves as a resource officer, Friday Feb. 16, 2018.
The most disturbing aspect to the call for arming schoolteachers is that it would establish as normal the idea that the way to make our lives safer is to protect ourselves from danger, instead of eliminating the danger in the first place. This is not normal. This is a defeatist attitude and a futile approach. If we accept we should tolerate danger in our world, we can never protect ourselves enough. This approach puts us on a path of never-ending escalation in which no one is ever safe.
John Pace, Salt Lake City
sltrib.com is now free to access — no subscription required. We made this decision because we believe access to trustworthy, independent news shouldn’t depend on what you can afford — especially as misinformation and AI-generated content continue to rise.
Free to read doesn’t mean free to produce. Our reporters show up every day to ask hard questions and hold powerful institutions to account. That work takes resources. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on support from people who believe it matters. Make a donation today to fund local news that serves Utah communities.
You can help us bring more local news to more communities today.