With everything going on today, arming teachers seems to be America’s next step toward insanity.

Will officers protect the rights of every teacher who chooses to carry a gun, or will they shoot them?

Will it matter if the teacher is black or white?

Educator and African-American civil rights activist Kelly Wickham said, “Philando Castile worked at a school, he obtained a legally purchased firearm, was profiled for being black and was shot to death. Now imagine working at a school and trying to get to work every day while at the same time being black with a gun.”

Will America protect their rights? Or are they all at risk of being shot seven times.

As someone who works at an elementary school, from what I can see, teachers are supposed to be in a nurturing position.

They develop a special bond with their students and how will that same bond be cultivated when there is an AR-15 under their desk or strapped to their back.

I already have to focus on 40 students inside of a classroom. The last thing I want to worry about is being in possession of a firearm while there are children latched onto my legs or trying to hug me.

A school is supposed to be a safe space, not a probable war zone.

What message will it send to students if they see these role models hoarding guns.

One clear message that is being sent comes from the U.S. government and its reluctance to finding a resolution to the gun epidemic.

Sure, America has tested out different solutions. For example, if the one committing the mass shooting happens to be a Muslim it creates a travel ban. If the mass shooter happens to be black it builds more prisons and jails.

If the shooter happens to be Hispanic or Latino the government decides to build a wall, but if the shooter is white it sends out thoughts and prayers.

A white school mass shooter gets referred to as a troubled young child but an “armed” black child with a toy gun gets referred to as a grown man and is gunned down indiscriminately.

Educational funding has already been cut, teachers are getting paid peas and nuts and now they are expected to not only educate, but take on the responsibility of patrolling a school that can potentially erupt into a battlefield.

That is not their job.

According to nish.com, the national average for a first-year teacher’s salary is $36,141.

Allowing our teachers to be armed is a risk and it makes it easier for students to come into contact with a firearm.

Keep in mind, teachers are everyday people. There is no guarantee they are not suffering from a mental illness and there is no guarantee they are not racist.

In my 12 years of attending public schools, I’ve had teachers who shouldn’t even be allowed to teach let alone carry around a semi-automatic weapon.

Now we are supposed to trust armed civilians to teach kindergartners how to tie their shoes?

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”

The answer to gun violence is not more guns. So next time politicians decide to send thoughts and prayers, make sure there is a bill for gun reform attached to it, and not just empty condolences.

Alondra Gallardo is an opinion editor for The Advocate. Contact her at [email protected].