Gun-Free zone, Victim zone - Campus Life

What if you were cowering in a corner begging for your life while staring down the barrel of a gun? What if you were bullied into undesirable actions with that weapon pressed into your back or against your head? Unfortunately these are not just hypothetical questions. They are real and usually mean death, not life, for the victims of school violence. What if, instead, you could pull your own weapon from its holster and aim back? What if the power were finally back in the hands of the law abiding citizens that spent time training and testing for their concealed handgun license (CHL) instead of in those of whom we cannot trust? Citizens have a natural and legal right to defend themselves. They should not have to give up that right simply because they enter into specific locations.

There will always be crime. There is always someone that wants to take what isn't his, be it something with monetary value or the happiness or life of another. In a world where there is always someone unwilling to obey the laws, how can we say that more laws are going to stop these criminals? Murder laws have not stopped murders from happening. People need to stop pretending that a piece of paper on a door, or even a law on the books, will stop a criminal. "Gun-Free Zone" stickers just advertise the fact that the people at an establishment don't have the ability to stop crime. The perfect places to rampage are those places that won't offer resistance. Citizens don't see too many gun shops burglarized while armed customers are there.

Nearly forty years ago, 34 Israeli students were gunned down on a bus while on a school trip. Afterward, Israel armed their teachers, administrators, bus drivers, and others to protect the children. Since these children were minors, many parents volunteered for these jobs and were then trained and armed by the school to provide security. Israel has not had to deal with the same suffering since. By contrast, America would try to create even more laws prohibiting guns, as if law-breakers keep the law (McGoey, 2008). Alternately, America has seen this tragedy time and again.

In the opposing camp it is theorized that if we could somehow, magically get rid of every single gun, then the violence would be impossible. What's impossible, however, is the removal of all the guns. Regulations on, or even complete forfeiture of guns won't get rid of all of them. Only law abiding citizens will follow these rules. It is also questioned what good is a gun? Why is there a need for guns or bullets at all? This argument begs the question "What is going on [that a weapon would ever actually be used for any good]" (Keeling, 1999)? Of course the answer is simple. Criminals do not care about right or wrong when they want to somehow break the law. The good people at school cannot trust the goodness of a bad guy. The law breakers can be trusted for only one thing; to break the law. A piece of paper or even a metal sign on campus does not stop someone who wants to kill. It does, however, assure the bad guy that he will be unopposed in his endeavors.

To solve this crisis before it happens again, we need to remove this false sense of security that "Gun-Free" offers. Our media and our politicians need to stop lying to us about the effectiveness of these restrictions. We need to empower our good guys, in addition to focusing on preventing the bad guys. We have only focused on the bad guys for a long time and we have not stopped them; we have not even slowed them down. In the process, our law abiding citizens are stripped of their ability to do what is in their own best interest, which is protecting themselves. The solution to stop school shootings is a multi-part process. Allowing morality to be taught by teachers, studying the criminal mentality and causes for violence, putting procedures in place for staff and emergency personnel, offering training for anyone willing to carry his concealed gun on campus and prominently displaying the fact that legal permitted guns are welcomed on the premises would be a good start to the solution.

The need to once again allow schools to teach morality is high. Starting in elementary grades, students must be taught the value of human life, to learn how to deal with insults and let-downs. They won’t always get their own way. They should be taught that all of this is normal. Unfortunately America lives in a culture where it is illegal for schools to teach these values. Abortion (killing of others that are in the way) is allowed. Teaching that humans are a creation of God is not allowed, rather they are just a higher form of animal life functioning only on natural instincts. Children are instead living with the belief that instant gratification is their right. If America changes the culture and values children are taught from the very beginning of their school years, it would greatly reduce how they deal with problems of peer pressure, acceptance, bullying, etc. Not only are morals lacking in the children’s education but public schools might even be the source of immorality in children.

“According to a new report from the Los Angeles-based Josephson Institute, cheating, stealing, and lying are common pastimes for some youth. One-third of teenagers say they shoplifted in the past year, and about a quarter admit to stealing from parents, relatives, or friends during the same period.

The study, which surveyed the moral beliefs and conduct of almost 30,000 high school students, also found that most teenagers have an inflated view of their own virtue. Seventy-seven percent of respondents said they are "better than most people" when it comes to doing the right thing” (Bass, 2010).

Bass further states, “Most teens spend half their waking hours under a form of state instruction that considers traditional morality unconstitutional” (Bass, 2010).

After the shooting at Columbine, the US Secret Service and the US Department of Education created the Safe School Initiative. Thirty-seven incidents of school shootings and other school attacks were studied for information to help prevent future attacks. “The report offered several key findings about school violence. Perhaps most notably, it indicated that attackers generally form a plan over a period of time, meaning that it is possible to discover and thwart their efforts” (Gale 2010). It was determined that perpetrators did not fit one profile type. Instead they vary considerably across demographics, backgrounds, etc (Service, 2002).

Ultimately, one single solution is no solution at all. Each of these ideas are lacking in providing the full answer. These are imperfect at best and should only serve as a partial preventivie measure. The number one thing that can be done to prevent school shootings is to announce that the grade school staff and faculty, and also the adult students on college and university campuses are armed, and well trained in protecting themselves and others.

The process to obtain a CHL involves training, testing, and renewing a license. People are finger printed, background checks are run and the ability to hit a target is tested at various distances. Topics that are covered in the class include the Concealed Handgun License (CHL) requirements and restrictions, basic knowledge of the use of force, firearm safety, weapon handling, child safety, basic marksmanship, and handgun use. On top of the obvious topics the class also focuses on things like alternatives to using force and/or deadly force. The students are well educated on the use of guns but also ways to avoid the gun's use. Anti-gun activists almost seem to think that anyone who is given a permit and handed a gun are somehow transformed into a maniacal killing machine and very little concession is given to the fact that law-abiding gun owners are statistically very careful in their use of guns, taking measures to ensure the proper handling, and practice in the use of weapons.

"There are already guns on campus. All too often they are illegal," Republican Gov. Rick Perry said. "I want there to be legal guns on campus. I think it makes sense — and all of the data supports — that if law abiding, well-trained, back grounded individuals have a weapon, then there will be less crime."

Texas legislature meets every odd numbered year, and will do so again in 2013. At this time a bill will be authored and voted on that will determine if legal, licensed guns should be allowed on college campuses. If this bill passes, it will be a huge step in the right direction.

A nationwide group, set up after the Virginia Tech shooting, called Students for Concealed Carry on Campus meets online, sharing stories of brave potential victims that stop crime by brandishing legal firearms. Their goal is to educate the public, research each state’s laws and regulations, then work at raising awareness for legislators in office. They have scheduled multiple simultaneous events across the nation in which students who want to be able to protect themselves wear empty gun holsters to class. This is to bring an image of defenselessness to witnesses’ minds, showing the need for change.

When seconds count, the police are minutes away. On average they arrive 15 minutes after the shooting, rape, or kidnapping has taken place. They are just in time to write a report, but never in time to actually stop a crime. The victim, however, is already there. If they had a way to stop the crime then not only would the suspect be in danger instead of the victim, but the criminal might just choose to forgo the crime altogether, saving lives and preventing suffering.
Works Cited

Bass, David N. "Public Schools Are the Source of the Decline in Morality Among Teens." Should Character be Taught in School? Ed. Noël Merino. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. At Issue. Rpt. from "Generation Cheat." The American Spectator (15 Dec. 2008). Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 31 Oct. 2012.

"Guns and Violence." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection. Gale, Cengage Learning, 2010. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 31 Oct. 2012.

Keeling, Richard P. "Modest Reassurance In A Season Of Sadness: Guns In College." Journal Of American College Health 48.1 (1999): 3. Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 Oct. 2012.

McGoey, Chris. "Banning Guns Is Not Enough to Stop Campus Violence." Gun Violence. Ed. Stefan Kiesbye. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Contemporary Issues Companion. Rpt. from "Campus Security: Gun Violence at School."www.crimedoctor.com. 2007. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 25 Oct. 2012.

Service, U.S. Secret, and U.S. Department of Education. "Examining School Shooting Incidents." The Final Report and Findings of the Safe School Initiative: Implications for the Prevention of School Attacks in the United States. U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Department of Education, 2002. Rpt. in School Violence. Ed. Kate Burns. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2005. Contemporary Issues Companion. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 31 Oct. 2012.