Firearms at School

The mere thought of firearms in educational institutions cause liberals to panic. The anti-gun media and political propaganda of the left would have you believe that firearms and education do not mix, and the mere mention of guns at school would cause wholesale panic. Hence the leftist authoritarian 'zero-tolerance' policies that have led to school students of all ages being suspended or even expelled for pointing their fingers like a pistol, for having plastic guns or squirt guns in their possession, butter knives in their lunch boxes, and God-forbid they profess that their parents own guns. They will be branded as neo-heretics and shunned by the liberal elitists in training, taught to believe their opinions are somehow superior to those of everyone else.

In fact, the idea of firearms being separate from education is a relatively new idea. The first federal law prohibiting firearms in K-12 schools didn't exist until 1990. It wasn't all that long ago that students brought their 22 rifles and BB guns to school for school sanctioned target practice or plinking during recess. It was not a big deal, and lo and behold- there were not school shootings or mass murders every other day as we are told would happen today.

And yet, this blog post is not about K-12 students carrying firearms. It's about the ability of licensed adults to carry firearms for their own protection and the protection of their fellow citizens, as well as students, at educational institutions- K-12 as well as colleges and universities. Any reasonable, logical human can conclude that gun free zones do not work. Gun free zones, such as schools and college campuses around the country, have been the sites of countless school shootings- from Columbine High School to Virginia Tech, and hundreds more. A madman who is intent on killing is not going to pay any attention to a policy or a law prohibiting carry on a school campus. Why would he? He's already planning to commit mass murder, a far greater offense than that of violating some obscure 'no firearms' policy. They certainly aren't going to bother with purchasing their firearm through legal channels or obtaining a permit of any kind.

We must first face a fact- nothing we can possibly do will prevent a murderer from inflicting mayhem and violence on others. If someone is intent on causing harm, the most secure facility will not keep them out, security and law enforcement personnel will not stop them. In fact, uniformed guards and police make easy targets for those intent on murder. Physical boundaries can easily be breached, or sidestepped. Large facilities such as schools, universities, hospitals, malls, movie theaters, etc. have no mechanism in place to deal with such an event.

What we can do, and what we must do, is to deter those who would commit such acts from doing so, and ensure that if they do indeed commit such an act, that we stop them in their tracks before they can continue doing so and causing more damage. There is a reason that such mass shootings are generally confined to 'gun free zones.' You don't often hear about mall shootings or movie theater shootings, or Wal-Mart shootings, or restaurant shootings today. The reason is that- in 47 states, millions of American citizens can and do carry concealed firearms at all of those places and the criminals (or would-be criminals) know it. They are far less bold in an environment where literally anyone could be armed. Put yourself in their shoes- if you were going to mug someone, commit armed robbery, or commit some other violent crime, would you prefer to do it at a place where you are relatively certain that you will receive little or no resistance, or a place where the odds are that if you try to attack someone- either your intended victim or someone else nearby is going to use a firearm to stop you in your tracks. The choice is obvious. In fact, an FBI study indicates that criminals fear armed citizens far more than the police. Armed citizens are not constrained by the same rules of engagement as police, and they have a lot more on the line- such as the lives of their families.

You'll note as you look back at mass shooting incidents, that virtually every one occurred in a 'gun free zone' where the shooter knew they would encounter little or no resistance, be it at a school, university, or even a workplace. The logic is simple. Why do we, as a society, allow licensed responsible law abiding citizens to carry firearms and prevent crime nearly everywhere they go- restaurants, movie theaters, shopping malls, gas stations, banks, grocery stores, sporting events, at work, at home, in their vehicles for the protection of themselves, their families, and others, yet we do not allow them to carry in places where our most vulnerable citizens- our children, are concentrated. Our legislators have insisted on treating our children, sadly, as fish in a barrel for some madman to prey on. School officials and politicians promote their 'gun free zones' and their 'zero tolerance policies' as if those will somehow, magically, stop or even deter a madman from committing their heinous acts.

One thing and one thing alone will stop them in their tracks- force. Force from armed teachers, administrators, parents (and licensed adult students in the case of universities) who choose to do their civic duty and carry a firearm to save lives. Our children deserve to be protected, they deserve to have the best we can give them as a society. Write your legislators at the state and federal level- tell them you're not going to allow them to treat our children as fish in a barrel any longer. You have the right and duty to protect your children when in your care, and when they are at school- we need to ensure that their guardians have the ability to protect them there as well.

University and college carry is also a no-brainer. There is no reason that mature adults who are licensed to carry firearms everywhere else, would behave any differently on a university campus. We trust them to protect their fellow citizens everywhere else, why not on campus. In fact, Utah has already done this, and the incidences of violent crime on campus have dropped dramatically since it's implementation, just as violent crime drops dramatically in each state where concealed carry laws are passed. It's also why, in the midst of a depression, violent crime in the United States is at an all-time low, as more people choose to take responsibility for the protection of themselves, their family, their fellow citizens, and their state.

The logic is clear, now let's explore an actual scenario. Imagine you are a middle school teacher. Imagine you are in your classroom teaching the students a lesson, when suddenly, you hear shots in the hallway and screams. You realize what is happening in time to tell the kids to get under their desks and scramble to lock the classroom door. To your dismay, the shooter, a 250 lb. brute, beats you to the door and levels a shotgun at your head, studying you with crazed bloodshot eyes, then he proceeds to order you and the students to face the wall and line up. Imagine the scenario... thirty two souls lined up against the wall, students crying and screaming for their parents. He starts going down the line- bang, a child slumps to the floor, bang, another, bang, another. You're about 2/3 of the way down the line and realize what is happening- it's an execution- one by one. There is no way you can take the shooter by force, he's much larger than you and on PCP. In this scenario, you and your students are dead. You're powerless to stop him. There is absolutely nothing you can do and no one is there to help you. The police are doing everything in their power to get there and stop him, but they are 5 minutes out. He's already shot the school security guard and obviously had no problem entering the school. What can you do? Think about it. Unless you are armed, there is nothing you can do. If, however, you are armed.... this scenario plays out much differently- you drop behind a desk, retrieve your handgun, and fire 5 rounds at the shooter before he realizes what is happening and attempts to wheel around to face you, but it's too late- he falls to the floor, dropping his weapon. You have just saved the lives of yourself and your students. You are a community hero. Even if you are not armed yourself, in an environment where licensed adults can carry arms at school, other dedicated teachers and administrators would spring to action- putting their lives on the line to protect the students and each other. As the shooter prepares to start eliminating your students and yourself- one by one, suddenly a history teacher who used to serve in the Army, spins around the corner with his own firearm and drops the mad shooter.

If your child was in that classroom, which option would you prefer? Please write your legislators today and make sure your voice is heard. Let them know you're tired of our children being fish in a barrel and that you want to empower their guardians to protect them.