In the original Letter to the Editor, the authors talk about a school shooting in California, which none of these bills would have or could have prevented. This is ironic, because California has the toughest gun laws in the country.
Yet California remains at the top of the list of mass shootings by state. They have more than double the mass shootings than the next closest state.
So, to use an example from California seems rather fitting. It proves that more gun laws do not equate to a safer populace.
In fact, when we look at crimes where firearms were used we see an interesting trend: 80-90% of all guns used in a crime were not legally obtained. This predilection toward the use of illegal firearms shows that more gun laws will not equate to a safer populace.
The CDC discovered this fact when they studied crimes and violence where a firearm was used.
The authors title and letter call the General Assembly to action, but I would be willing to bet that the author has no idea that a state senator proposed a School Safety Bill. Why do we not know about this bill?
Well, the senator is a vocal member of the minority party. The bill would have made schools safer by making it harder for shooters to get guns or themselves in the school. Hardened access points, stronger security, and more resource officers for the schools.
Real action that would make for a safer school. But hey, politics, right. It is abundantly clear that school safety is not a concern since this bill was buried in committee and was never even given a hearing.
People throw around common sense a lot when we discuss answers. Well, common sense requires the use of logic. As a nation we have left logic behind and allowed emotions to become the new truth. When presented with facts that show the fallacy of our stance, we often resort to fear tactics.
The truth is, your child is more likely to be killed in a transportation accident than a school shooting, according to the numbers from the CDC. It is time to really look at data and facts about these events. We need to look at root causes and what are the common contributing factors.
Parents of school shooters need to be held accountable for the actions of their children. School administrators and law enforcement agencies that drop the ball need to be held accountable. These folks are just as guilty as the shooter for not doing the right thing.
I will leave you with a quote from Benjamin Franklin: “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”
Mitch Denham
Lincoln
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