I sympathize with your view, but I think it’s unrealistic.
Kids at that age wouldn’t necessarily have the judgement to discern when lethal force was warranted.
Fights on the school grounds that take place from time to time, with both people get bruises, cuts, and perhaps a little more, would turn into a killing.
You’d also have the likelihood of groups attacking each other.
Arming the adults is enough for me.
I never pulled my rifle, but if I had encountered a pack of threatening dogs or a rabid fox...I would have.
If I had encountered a drunk idiot who threatened my brother or a friend, I would have drawn it. And probably fired it, if needed.
If I had seen an innocent person being attacked, I would have damn sure drawn it.
I know it was a different time, but we were conditioned to accept some adult responsibilities.
I knew when to use my rifle...and when not to.
Kids nowadays are quite a bit different, but training can change that.
All that said, society today would not accept a process in which kids were given responsibility.
I think a school would have to be very careful about who was armed, but such a thing could be earned by the most responsible students (and then with much training to prepare them).
I grew up in a farming community. Kids had guns and learned how to shoot when they were 7 or 8. They learned when not to shoot, too. Decent kids would be fine with guns. Sadly, decent kids are hard to find now.
When in highschool, I carried a 12ga,
and a .22 rifle in the gun rack in
my pickup. In plain view. And I was
not the only one to do so.
School shootings back then were
virtuously non-existent. When schooled
correctly, and responsibly, 16 year
olds can handle weapons just fine, and
would have the fortitude to know when
their use was warranted.