In the late eighties, when I was in High School, we had things pretty easy. Yes, there was the occasional fight, but for the most part, things were pretty calm, and I never felt unsafe headed to my classes. By the time my daughter started school, I could immediately tell that things were different. I remember sitting on on her third grade class, and hearing her classmates talking during the lesson, and cursing enough to make a sailor blush. When she hit middle school, I remember her coming home one day, and telling me that her teachers couldn’t teach, because they had to act as Zookeepers instead.
Teachers already have taken on the roles of counselor, surrogate parent, and instructor. Do we really want them to also take on the role of Soldier? Or Police officer?
The current administration refers to schools as ‘soft targets’. So, where else have we had these shootings? Let’s take a look – churches have been targeted. So are they ‘soft targets’? Shopping malls, outdoor events – are they ‘soft targets’? There are lots of soft targets, but no one talks about having armed guards at Church, so why have them at a learning institution? And the bigger question – do we really want to live in a country where we are constantly under armed guard, with weapons openly displayed in schools, churches, and social events? Is that really the only way we can feel safe?
I’m sorry, but I don’t buy into that as being the only option. Indeed, while I will not argue any ‘slippery slope’ fallacy, I will say that having more guns available is not the only, or even the best, option. Now, if a teacher who already carries a firearm as a private citizen wishes to carry while on campus – sure, let them. But that is a far cry from a mandate for these academically inclined people to be forced to carry a weapon for the safety of themselves and their charges. If I felt so unsafe at my job that I felt I had to carry a gun to work every day, I would simply find another job, someplace else, where I didn’t have to live in that kind of fear.
But as this debate progresses, it’s clear that there is no other job, and no other place, where people can feel safe. It’s simply not that simple anymore. If we have to arm the citizenry just to keep the madness at bay, we may as well be living in a police state. And no one living in a police state ever feels safe. Indeed, the debate over public safety is more of a debate on preserving the very reasons we feel free. Living in peace is part of the very fabric of the ‘pursuit of happiness’ for the vast majority of Americans. Sadly, we are losing the freedoms we hold dear, the freedoms that defined us as a people, when we live in constant fear. Will more guns make you feel safe? For some people, the answer is yes – but that answer does not fit everyone. And in a free country, that answer shouldn’t be the only option, or forced on anyone.
Let’s discuss other options.
