Have we learned nothing?
Is it so hard to conceive that allowing more firearms in an environment will not reduce gun violence, but instead do just the opposite?
I lived in Littleton, Colo. in the aftermath of one of the most tragic school shootings in the history of this country—the massacre at Columbine High School. The community was devastated. I recall seeing cars with bumper stickers that adorned Colorado’s beautiful, violet state flower—The Rocky Mountain Columbine—reminding us to “never forget.”
But it seems like America easily forgets—or at least we are getting the wrong message out of the numerous tragic lessons that our kids are exposed to every year. Legislators across the country seem to think that allowing students to carry concealed weapons is the solution.
If that seems counterintuitive, it’s because it is.
The Columbine High School Massacre, which led to the premature deaths of 13 innocent students, sparked an era of unprecedented gun violence amongst youth in this country. School shootings became the new normal—and we let it get this way. Our country’s increasing acceptance of guns as part of our mainstream culture is turning a beautiful, civilized nation into a modern Wild West.
If it continues this way, and it looks like Tallahassee is going in that direction, we will all soon be living on the edge of battle, awaiting the next hot-head or mentally ill person to threaten our lives.
Rep. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, who introduced the bill that would allow college students to carry concealed weapons on campus, believes that arming the potential victims of a school shooting is the best way to prevent those deaths. I ask him this: Is a fire-fight between two or more students really ideal?
The pro-gun side of the debate will say, “The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.” If the good students are all armed, this will deter would-be shooters from carrying out their own nefarious intentions. I for one think that there are more effective ways of preventing gun violence than the idea of mutually assured destruction. I believe that an eye for an eye will make the whole world go blind.
There is also the illogical assumption that everyone who has a concealed carry permit is in their right mind. By tolerating guns in our schools, we only increase the chances of a mentally unstable person bringing one to class.
College is stressful enough without the constant threat of dying. Imagine a learning environment where students are constantly looking over their shoulders, sizing up their peers, hoping that nobody in their classroom will snap and go on a shooting spree that day.
Imagine a troubled student who fails a critical exam and decides to retaliate. They are already armed, so there is no cooling down period in which to quell his or her violent inclinations.
Allowing guns to be a part of campus and classroom life is a huge gamble—and there are no winners.
If Tallahassee lawmakers are truly concerned about security in schools, why not vote on funding for an increased presence of law enforcement on campuses? Allowing students to police themselves is a recipe for disaster. A vigilante system of justice does not belong in a civilized society, let alone in our schools.
I urge the students and faculty of USF to reject this dangerous law. Do not allow our classrooms to become battlegrounds waiting to happen. I ask the student body of this great nation: What kind of world do you want to live in?
