Local community advocates, mental health professionals and leaders argued against a bill allowing teachers to be armed in schools during a panel discussion hosted by Story County Democrats on Monday night. 

Over 50 community members gathered at Ames Public Library to hear from four panelists speaking out against gun violence in America. All four panelists agreed gun violence in Iowa is a growing concern, with both school shootings and domestic violence involving guns being the main talking points. 

To kick off the meeting, the panelists were asked what are some of the driving factors increasing gun violence. One of the two Iowa state directors from March For Our Lives, Hannah Hayes, a senior at Des Moines Roosevelt High School, brought up the increasingly easier access to guns in America. 

“We know that that’s the case because other countries that don’t have as many guns don’t have as much violence, and so when we have more access to guns as we’ve seen in the past couple of years, we’ve had more violence,” Hannah Hayes said. 

Going along with the easier access, a representative from Moms Demand Action, Sarah Hayes, blamed the increase in gun sales. According to Sarah Hayes, gun sales have doubled since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, going from one million sales per month in 2011 to two million in 2021. 

Brady Advocate Trey Jackson talked extensively about the desensitization regarding gun violence in America. He claims that the country is so used to seeing mass shootings happening every day that they perceive it as normal. 

“Americans have become desensitized because if you turn on your TV every single week, we turn on CNN, and you see that there’s another shooting,” Jackson said. “You just get so used to this happening.”

Panelists also discussed the implications of the possibility of a bill being passed that would allow school employees to carry guns on school property. 

Iowa House Republican lawmakers passed a school security bill in late Feb. allowing for the creation of a new grant program for schools to help pay for training and other costs associated with arming staff members. Individuals would be allowed to be armed so long as they complete the required training program with the Iowa Department of Public Safety and receive a valid carry license.

State Sen. Herman Quirmbach (D-Ames) recommended not moving the bill forward and voted against it. 

“The answer to a bad guy with a gun is not a good guy with a gun,” Quirmbach said. 

According to the panelists, another issue that arises with arming school officials is the cost. Insurance companies would then be able to charge a higher premium due to the risks associated with it. 

“There has been no single, not a single instance where a teacher has engaged the shooter or stopped the shooter,” Jackson said. “But there’s actually hundreds of instances of mishandled guns, and there’s also instances where a gun has been unintentionally fired or ricocheted, and its shrapnel has hit students.” 

Hannah Hayes suggested putting money toward mental health resources for the community as a preventative measure against gun violence rather than arming teachers. 

“I’m not buying the argument that we don’t have the money anymore because we obviously do,” Jackson said. “It’s an allocation problem, not a budget problem.”

For those with concerns regarding the bill, Sarah Hayes encouraged the audience to reach out to their legislators. 

Another topic brought up during the meeting was domestic violence involving guns. Ames experienced a shooting at the Cornerstone Church in 2022, where a domestic partner killed two people and then himself. 

Panelists offered the solution of a Red Flag Law, also known as the Extreme Risk Protection Order Law. The law prevents those who show signs of being a threat to themselves or others from purchasing any kind of firearm. 

“If we had a red flag law to intervene there, at least temporarily, those two women might be alive today,” Quirmbach said. “After the fact, law enforcement got in the shooter’s apartment and found out just how much worse it could have been; they found an AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle.” 

The panelists agreed America needs more gun-sensible candidates running for office to combat this national issue. 

“A lot of the current legislation unfortunately leads to higher casualties in the long term,” Sarah Hayes said. “It really is quite shameful.”