OPINION: I’m an Anchorage teacher and gun owner. We need laws to help combat school shootings.

I had the opportunity to meet with Sen. Lisa Murkowski recently via Zoom with a varied group of Alaska citizens concerned about America’s gun violence problem. I am a mom, teacher, responsible gun owner and veteran. I was hoping to share my comments and my perspective with the broader community as we approach a critical point when our Congress is finally working to put forward a bipartisan gun reform package.

My name is Sarah Glaser. I will be teaching third grade this year and it will be my 11th year teaching with the Anchorage School District. I have been a classroom teacher at both elementary and middle school levels. I am a responsible gun owner, my family hunts and I’m a parent of two boys — a second grader and a preschooler. I grew up around guns, hunting and gun safety.

My husband is currently in the middle of a rigorous background check for a sound suppressor (silencer) for his hunting rifle that would limit the damage to his hearing while hunting. This is a federally mandated background check conducted by the ATF that typically takes 6-12 months to complete. I’m pointing out the fact that there is existing federal legislation that could be expanded to include similar background checks for 25 and under or 21 and under on assault-style weapons. We have a precedent for federal legislation that is meant to limit gun violence but hasn’t been updated for modern threats. It is absurd that my husband will meet this standard for a suppressor, but an 18-year-old can legally obtain an AR-15 immediately in Alaska. This is the type of common-sense gun reform that I hope our nation’s lawmakers will be aware of and pursue as they look for ways to change our gun violence problem.

Before teaching, I served on active duty in the Air Force. I have experience with M-16 and M-9 weapons and understand the strict regulations and protocols concerning firearms in the military and on base, which unfortunately do not resemble gun ownership or regulations in the civilian sector.

I began teaching in 2012 in first grade — the same year that a mass shooting happened at Sandy Hook Elementary, killing 20 6- and 7-year-olds, as well as six adults. Since then, I have participated in every ALICE (active shooter) drill and I have envisioned every possible scenario that I could to try and come up with some response that might minimize the damage and loss of life to my students. I guarantee that every teacher has looked around their empty classroom and considered countless possibilities and strategies in the event that the worst happens.

The truth is, we are doing the best we can to make schools safe and make drills developmentally appropriate events for students, but no response is going to be truly acceptable in the event of an active shooter on campus, particularly one with an assault-style weapon. I am fairly convinced that these drills are likely doing more harm than good. Young students are often upset following these drills and have trouble returning to more appropriate activities, older students become apathetic given the frequency and the heaviness of the subject. These drills are often traumatic for students. The burden of preventing another mass shooting cannot be the fortressing of schools into prisons or tactically training our students and teachers. This is not normal nor acceptable.

I was devastated to read the Uvalde pediatrician’s testimony of the Robb Elementary children who came completely obliterated, unrecognizable, decapitated by an AR-15 in the hands of an 18-year-old. I was disheartened by the response of a few of our nation’s legislators, like Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who refused to hear ideas about meaningful gun reform measures but pointed to family structure, mental health or school response. Guns are the largest common factor in gun violence and mass school shootings. Gun reform is essential if we want to change this outcome. Gun reform, not more school training nor other more outlandish school responses, has the potential to prevent future death.

As a teacher and parent, I feel helpless knowing that there is relatively little that I can do to prevent this risk for my students and children. Lawmakers in our country have great potential to do something and I would urge Alaskans to contact our representatives and ask that this be a central issue going forward. The vast majority of citizens and gun owners support common-sense gun reform like expanded background checks. I urged Sen. Murkowski to support this package quickly and to continue to look for common-sense gun reform that will save lives.

Sarah Glaser is an Anchorage resident, mom and public school teacher.

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