To Strap Or Not To Strap

The recent school shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida has reignited the debate on gun control in the United States. Some are calling for “common sense gun control,” such as more thorough background checks, as well as regulation of bump stocks and assault style weapons. These calls have not been unanswered, as stores such as Dick’s Sporting Goods has stopped selling assault style weapons, while Walmart has stopped selling guns to people under 21 years old.

All of these are steps in the right direction, but we need legislation that will keep guns out of the hands of those who will inflict harm on masses of people. So far, there have been efforts made by private companies but none made by our own government to prevent these mass shootings.

President Donald Trump has expressed interest in arming teachers as a deterrent against school shooters. However, I don’t think the solution to this problem is to arm more people. If teachers are armed it will only make matters worse. This is because kids get their hands on everything. Just ask any parent and they will confirm that kids find everything. Children having access to firearms is a recipe for disaster. Furthermore, armed teachers would require training and firearms licenses, both of which take time and money. Why not put that toward other resources so markedly missing from America’s classrooms, such as textbooks and additional staffing?

For so-called fiscal conservatives, this seems like a waste of money and resources that doesn’t address the problem. Instead of throwing more gasoline on the fire we should put the fire out. We need to keep guns out of the hands of those who would do us harm, instead of arming more people.

Arming teachers is not a solution to America’s gun issue.