A panel appointed by the state of Florida to study the Parkland school shooting, tasked with determining the best way to prevent future shootings in the US and to reduce the number of victims, released its final report, arriving at a sensational conclusion. The government panel was unanimously in favor of arming trained and selected teachers at schools as a means to deter or stop potential future assailants. Members of the Florida state panel came to the conclusion that inadequate responses by school personnel and local police were the reasons that the number of casualties was so high.
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The idea led to a furious reaction on social media, with many people opposing arming teachers.
Some suggested that bringing more guns to schools couldn't be the solution to the problem.
Many twitterians expressed fear that modern US schools are slowly turning into prisons.
One user noted that the panel hadn't even considered the possibility of introducing laws that would control or reduce the amount of guns in circulation in the US.
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Many netizens suggested that the report was written to benefit the National Rifle Association (NRA).
At the same time, the proposed measure had strong supporters.
Some noted that the measure wouldn't arm teachers forcibly, but would provide them with the opportunity.
Nikolas Cruz entered the Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida carrying an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and started shooting students and school staff indiscriminately. The shooting claimed the lives of 17 people and left 16 more wounded. After his rifle jammed, Cruz left the school but was later apprehended by police.
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The shooting reignited public debate about the necessity of stricter regulation of firearms in the US, with advocates of gun control often accusing politicians, including the US president, of being "bought" by the NRA and protecting their interests. The US was rocked by numerous mass shootings throughout 2018.
An active shooter was recently also reported at the Mississippi University for Women on 4 January 2019. At least one person was injured in the attack, but the campus was put on lockdown for several hours.