The Scenario
Picture a typical school day. A lockdown order is given. Gunshots ring out in the hallway. A teacher locks and darkens her classroom, positioning herself between 25 terrified students and the door. In this scenario, some propose she should have a gun in her hand.
Her heart rate spikes from 60 beats per minute to over 200. Adrenaline floods her system. Her vision narrows. Her fine motor skills — the ability to precisely aim and fire a weapon — deteriorate rapidly. The classroom door is forced open. She must fire accurately enough to neutralize the threat without hitting any of the students behind, beside, or near the attacker.
Can she? The data suggests the answer is almost certainly no.
What Concealed Carry Actually Requires
Many states allow civilians to carry concealed handguns after completing a licensing process. In Ohio, Section 2923.125 of the Revised Code requires eight total hours of training, with a minimum of two hours of hands-on range time and live-fire training.
Two hours of actual firearms training. That’s the threshold to carry a concealed weapon. License renewal occurs every five years and requires no proof of continued proficiency — just a form and a fee. There is no mandate for regular practice, no ongoing qualification, no assessment of accuracy under stress.
How Trained Officers Actually Perform Under Stress
Now compare that teacher to law enforcement officers who carry firearms daily throughout their careers and are required to demonstrate proficiency annually or semi-annually under the supervision of certified instructors.
"It takes a good guy with a gun to stop a bad guy with a gun — but how well do trained law enforcement officers really perform under stress?"
— Bill Barna, 33-year retired police officer
The New York Police Department’s Standard Operating Procedure #9 (SOP-9) tracked police-involved shootings from 1990 to 2000. The data revealed that officers achieved a hit ratio of only 15% when firing at suspects under stress. These are officers with years of training, regular qualifications, and real-world experience. They miss 85% of the time.
A teacher with two hours of range time and no ongoing training would be expected to perform better than this?
The Risk Calculus
The FBI’s Active Shooter Reports show the sustained nature of the threat: 333 incidents and 2,851 casualties from 2000 to 2019, with continued elevated numbers through 2024. Schools are consistently among the most targeted locations. The impulse to arm teachers comes from a genuine desire to protect students.
But the risks are substantial:
- Accuracy under stress: If trained police hit their target only 15% of the time, an undertrained teacher in a room full of children faces catastrophic odds of collateral harm
- Liability: School districts assume enormous legal and financial exposure
- Accidental discharge: Firearms in classrooms introduce daily risks unrelated to active shooters
- Student access: Any weapon stored in a school is a weapon that could be accessed by students
- Training costs: Meaningful ongoing firearms proficiency training is expensive and time-intensive
Alternatives That Reduce Risk
There are security measures available to schools that provide meaningful protection without the risk, liability, and expense of arming teachers:
- School Resource Officers — trained law enforcement professionals with ongoing firearms qualifications
- Controlled access points and visitor management systems
- Emergency communication and lockdown notification systems
- Door barricade devices that prevent an attacker from entering an occupied room
- Safety drills aligned with CISA’s K-12 School Security Guide
"SWAT officers spent 20 minutes trying to breach a door equipped with a Bolo Stick. They destroyed part of the door, but the device held."
— Bill Barna
The Bolo Stick door barricade costs $69, installs in five minutes, requires zero training to deploy, and withstands over 4,200 pounds of force. It does not introduce the risks associated with firearms in classrooms. It does not require ongoing proficiency training. It works every time.
Protect classrooms without the risks of arming teachers. Browse Bolo Stick products or contact us to discuss your school’s security needs.