SDH Captioned
Study Guide
Grades 10 - 12, College, Adults
Directed by Kate Way, Julie Akeret
DVD Purchase $225, Rent $85
US Release Date: 2018
Copyright Date: 2017
DVD ISBN: 1-948745-08-9
Subjects
American Studies
Anthropology
At-risk Youth
Community
Criminal Justice
Education
Mental Health
Social Psychology
Social Work
Sociology
Awards and Festivals
Opening Night Film, Meet The Press Film Festival
The Arming of Teachers in America
Explores both sides of the highly controversial trend of arming teachers and staff in America's K-12 schools.
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"An exceptionally fair presentation [it] would absolutely precipitate debate." Debra Ciamacca, Social Studies teacher, Conestoga HS |
[Note: Community screenings of G IS FOR GUN can be booked at Bullfrog Communities.]
G IS FOR GUN explores the highly controversial trend of armed faculty and staff in K-12 schools. Only five years ago this practice was practically unheard of, but since the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012, it has spread to as many as a dozen states. Often without public knowledge, there are teachers, administrators, custodians, nurses, and bus drivers carrying guns in America's schools.
G IS FOR GUN documents a growing program in Ohio that is training school staff to respond to active shooter situations with guns, and follows the story of one Ohio community divided over arming its teachers.
Reviews
"Powerful film...Balanced. This film will spark much discussion especially if it were shown to combined groups of school personnel and parents or school staff and law enforcement agents. Highly recommended as a tool for beginning a rational discourse."
Ernest Jaeger, Library Journal
"This engaging movie addresses a seminal issue of our time: whether arming teachers is the best solution to stop school shootings. Teacher and expert interviews, on both sides of the issue, make this an exceptionally fair presentation and would absolutely precipitate debate for community groups, teacher in-service days, and those seeking to understand the underlying issues associated with guns in the classroom."
Debra Ciamacca, Social Studies teacher, Conestoga High School
"G is for Gun angered me. It terrified me. But it also gave me hope. The documentary portrays both sides of such a controversial issue and allows the voices from both sides to be heard...It is a must watch film for any parent or educator, of which I am both."
Mike Conrad, Teacher, Royal Oak High School
"G is for Gun provides a balanced, thought provoking set of contrasting ideas about the potential benefits and drawbacks of arming teachers. Viewing this film offers a rich opportunity to engage in dialogue about this emotionally laden and potentially divisive issue. It is a valuable resource for community leaders, school board members, parents, and educators who are wrestling with how to best protect our children from school violence."
Dr. John D'Auria, Professor of Practice, Division of Teaching, Learning, and Leadership, University of Pennsylvania
"G is for Gun provides a balanced look at the controversial issue of arming teachers. The film portrays a town in Ohio that allows teachers to be armed, with commentary by those on both sides of the issue. It is a sensitive look at a difficult issue."
Dr. Peter Langman, Author, School Shooters: Understanding High School, College, and Adult Perpetrators and Why Kids Kill: Inside the Minds of School Shooters
"When it comes to school teachers, should marksmanship involve more than just grading papers and exams? In the wake of several widely reported school shootings, the debate over arming teachers has become contentious. G is for Gun does a great service by balancing both sides of the controversy through the words and stories of those charged with the education and well-being of students."
James Alan Fox, Professor of Criminology, Law, and Public Policy, Northeastern University, Author, Violence and Security on Campus: From Preschool through College
"Evenhanded...timely...will spark discussion."
Candace Smith, Booklist
"This short documentary focuses on a specific community, but the multiplicity of voices (including Scott Jackson, a member of the Sandy Hook Advisory Committee) gives this timely issue the wider attention it deserves. Recommended."
K. Fennessy, Video Librarian
"G is for Gun is an amazing film for the conversations and critical questions it opens up about violence, guns, the assault on public education, and the history and politics of gun culture and violence in the US."
Barbara Madeloni, former President, Massachusetts Teachers Association
"G is for Gun offers a remarkable glimpse into the controversial policy of arming teachers. Allowing the participants on both sides of this issue to speak for themselves, the film makers have managed to encapsulate a complex issue in a visually rich and engaging documentary that ought to spark a more serious and thoughtful conversation about how to deal with school violence."
Saul Cornell, Chair in American History, Fordham University, Author, A Well Regulated Militia: The Founding Fathers and the Origins of Gun Co