My Opinion: Keep Guns Out of Schools

“Do you have any guns in your house?”

Bobby was having a new friend over.  I was meeting his new friend’s mom for the first time.  We had already crossed off our discussion list “any food allergies” and “any pet allergies/fears.”

“In our house?  Oh gosh, no.  Do you?”

“No.”

We both nodded.  Okay.  Whew.

Yes, this question comes up.  It is still relevant.

We do not want our children around guns.

Can you see where I am going with this?  Feel free to bail out now.

I am veering off my planned post course to talk about something that keeps rearing its ugly head into my world.

Guns in schools.  Arming teachers.

That other mom I was talking to?  She’s a teacher.  I’m guessing she feels the same way I do about all this.

I don’t want my children in a school where the teacher is armed.

What is bringing this situation to a head?

As of March 8^th, there have been 14 school shootings inside the United States.

The most notorious offense of the year is the following:

“February 14: Parkland, Florida

A 19-year-old man gunned down students and staff with a rifle at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, slaughtering at least 17 unsuspecting students and adults.”

It should be noted that this school employed an armed security guard.  When the attack took place the security guard froze outside.  When his “fight or flight” was called upon, his “flight” took over and he did not go in the school or attempt to stop the shooter in any way.

One of the initial cries was that the people who are doing these school shootings need psychiatric help.  The mental health system is failing, and disturbed people are harming the innocent.

Having worked in the mental health system for many years, I was captivated by the perspective of an emergency psychiatrist, who relates in this article, “The Mental Health System Can’t Stop Mass Shooters” her experience with individuals brought in for emergency psychiatric care, against their will, who harbor ill feelings towards others.

She states that the mental health system does not identify these individuals for need of mental health care as they do not come in for help.  The individuals do not always have a history of mental illness.  Mental illness is rarely the cause of the mass shootings.  There are laws to protect the civil liberties of individuals, stating what care can be administered to individuals against their will.

Ultimately there is no cure for angry men who harbor violent fantasies.

Her recommendation?

Try to make it more difficult for angry young men to get guns.

That seems legit.

In the past few weeks major stores in the United States have put a stop to their sale of certain weapons to help curb their ease of availability.  Which is great.  Certainly, something I support.

But the cynical part of me says, Robyn – does it really matter?

Here’s a video I came across that makes me upset and fuels the cynical part of me.

In the video, Jack, a 13-year-old paid actor goes to prove a point.  In short, he attempts to buy alcohol and is denied.  He attempts to buy cigarettes and is denied.  He attempts to buy pornography and is denied.  He attempts to buy a gun and succeeds.  Mind blowing.

I found this authors take on Assault Weapons to be informative, even for me, a non-gun lover: “F*ck You, I Like Guns.”  As an Army Veteran she is clear to state there is no reason for any civilian to own an assault weapon and why.  Their only use in the ARMY was to kill people.  That’s it.

This morning I am reading through my news feed and come across the CNN article, “Devos Struggles to Answer Basic Questions About Schools in her Home State.”

Betsy Devos is not my buddy.  As the appointed US Secretary of Education her goal is to privatize schooling.  There are many implications to this move, however, the most offending to me is that private schools do not have to provide for the needs of kids with special needs.  They do not need to follow an IEP.  I wrote more about this in my post, “What are School Vouchers?”

Today, I read Devos interview on 60 minutes.  In it, Devos offered that some schools should consider arming teachers.  When she is asked if she could even imagine her own first grade teacher brandishing a weapon in the classroom.

No, she could never imagine that.

My first grade teacher was a nun.  So, me neither, Betsy.

Nor would I want that for my kids.

As a marine, now educator, the author of “I was a Marine.  I do not want a Gun in my Classroom” agrees he is fully capable to handing a weapon with skill.  But would never do so in a classroom.  The presence of a weapon in the classroom is an invitation to violence.  If his college loses its “gun free zone” he will resign his professorship stating he will not work in an area where professors and students will be packing heat.

Educators are trained educate.

There are so many scenarios that go through my mind when I think of a teacher possessing a gun.  An elementary teacher puts the gun in the top drawer of her desk  to go help a student.  Another student goes to the desk to get a pencil and finds the gun.  Not realizing it is real, fires.  Or an angry high school student gains possession of his teachers gun and now there is an angry gun in the classroom.  And I can only imagine how many parents will say a teacher doesn’t like their kid, so my kid should be allowed to carry as well.

I find it important to point out that school massacres are not only occurring at high schools or colleges.  Elementary schools are at risk as well, as in the case of Sandy Hook Elementary where twenty 6-7 year olds were shot in 2012.  Absolutely horrific.

So, my view is simple.  It is not “add more guns.”  I support, “Less guns.  Serious gun reform.  Now.”

Personally, I kind of like this:

Please know, I have no interest in getting into a debate about guns.  This is all, simply my opinion.