If President Donald Trump had his way, teachers would be required to carry guns in school. Yes, just like the Wild West where just about everybody carried a gun. No license required. No “Second Amendment” to make it lawful to carry a gun. But in the Wild West, there was one exception: Teachers didn’t carry guns. There were enough gunslingers to scare psychos away from schools.
But those were the good old days when good guys – like Wyatt Earp and his brothers — killed the bad guys. Today, there are no more good guys to go after the bad guys because the bad guys don’t carry six-shooters anymore; they carry “assault rifles” that can fire six hundred rounds a minute. That would certainly scare the hell out of any good guy who’s armed with just a handgun.
And that’s probably what Trump had in mind when he suggested that teachers carry guns to kill psychos armed with “weapons of war” like the AR-15 that was used to kill 17 people at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida last February 14. Trump had tweeted that there were “many signs the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed.”
The killer, identified as 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, used a semi-automatic assault rifle in his murderous spree, which also wounded 14 other people including five with life-threatening injuries.
It was reported in the news that the FBI was alerted six months ago after a YouTube user named “Nikolas Cruz” posted a comment stating “I’m going to be a professional school shooter” on the video site, which makes one wonder: What did the FBI do to stop Cruz from pursuing his evil plans? Could the FBI have the same nonchalant attitude in dealing with other potential terrorists?
But the FBI can’t be blamed for their perceived inaction. They don’t have enough manpower to deal with the problem. The 35,000 people employed by FBI include special agents and other support professionals such as intelligence analysts, information technology specialists, scientists, and others.
“Have gun, will teach”
So whose problem is it then? Trump and National Rifle Association (NRA) Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre are of the same mind about guns in schools: they both want more guns in schools. Trump wants to arm teachers to protect themselves and the school children. LaPierre agrees with Trump in the sense that arming the teachers would be consistent with his convoluted philosophy, which he reiterated during the recently concluded Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC): “The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.” The only problem with this is that oftentimes the good guys gets killed, simply because they’re under-armed and don’t have proper training in handling guns. Simply put, teachers teach children, not shoot people. But Trump and LaPierre believe otherwise. They’re convinced that teachers can be made into good shooters; that is, killing people. But that’s not what they were taught to earn their teaching credentials. They were taught to teach children, not to kill people.
It is interesting to note that when the shooting started at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, there was an armed deputy on duty at the school — someone tasked, specifically, with keeping the students inside safe. Needless to say, the deputy was armed with a handgun, which was typically what most deputies would carry. So, when the mass murderer started shooting with his AR-15 in a rapid-fire fashion, the deputy on duty must have gotten so scared and he froze. For the next four minutes he stayed out of the school while the shooter murdered 17 people inside.
The problem in America today is that there is a proliferation of assault rifles. And Congress isn’t doing anything to rid the streets of these dangerous weapons of war. Their use should be limited for law enforcement purposes. And there must be laws that restrict their sale to civilians and minors. Stringent background checks must be enforced and people with mental health problems must be banned from purchasing them.
But nothing is being done about it. Lawmakers refuse to enact gun control laws for fear of losing the endorsement of the NRA and their campaign contributions. To be blacklisted by the NRA would spell the end of their legislative careers. In other words, the NRA and their lackeys in Congress control the deadly game that has been putting the lives of school children in danger.
Never Again!
But the gruesome massacre of 17 people during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School changed all that. The survivors of the Parkland school decided to bring their case to the State Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida. Busloads of students and others took the seven-hour trip to Tallahassee. They were joined by thousands of other students and supporters. They called their movement, “Never Again.” After four days, the movement has spread across the nation. The organizers plan for a nationwide protest rally in Washington, DC on March 24. They call it “March For our Lives.”
Yesterday, six teen-aged students in Kansas took a bold step into the murky waters of politics – they declared their candidacies for governor of Kansas. More are expected to run for legislative seats and other political offices as well.
Finally, the dragon has awakened, ready to challenge the political dominance of the NRA that has for so long been at the apex of power. Indeed, the Never Again Movement could usher in the dawn of a new age in America.
