Persuasive Essay On Guns In Schools

In America, the problem is not that we have too many guns; the problem is that we don’t have any guns in the right places. Federal buildings, banks, and corporate buildings all have armed security. Which is logical, but why not in schools? Children and their safety should be more important than the money in the bank or the secrets in some CEO’s office. For some reason, certain people just find the idea of arming teachers as an out-of-this-world solution. It shouldn’t be a surprise that school shooters are effective and successful when they meet no opposition from within the school. When in the right hands, guns can be a great life saving tool; and, when in the right places, it can be a deterrent to violence.
In the past, mass shootings that have occured around the country have varied in places. Some occur in restaurants, churches, concerts, and schools. In 2017, at the Route 91 Harvest Festival, a shooter opened fire at a crowd of concert goers. By the time the police had
surrounded the shooter, 58 people had been killed and 422 had been injured (Detailed Timeline of Las Vegas Route 91 Shooting Emerges). Just last month, a 19 year old had pulled a fire alarm at Marjory Stoneman High School and gunned down 17 students and injured 15 others while they filed out. At the end of 2017, in Sutherland Springs, Texas, a shooter targeted a baptist church (Gunman Kills at Least 26 in Attack on Rural Texas Church). He killed 27 people and injured 20 others before a lawful, responsible gun owner took matters into his own hands and fatally shot the shooter. The hero’s name is Stephen Willeford; the country needs more people like him who use their right to bear arms to protect both him and others in situations like these. The shooter at Sutherland Springs was uncontested and unmatched, had it not been for Willeford, many other people would have died. Politicians should try to enable people like Willeford who are willing to put themselves in harms way to do what is right; not try and take away the very tools that helped a man save the lives of his fellow church members.
There are many causes on why these atrocities keep happening. The short answer is some people are crazy, others pure evil. These certain individuals get their hands on weapons using their second amendment right, which is legal and okay. The problem comes when these certain individuals already have issues that authorities know about and yet they don’t do anything about it. Many lawful gun owners would be fine with a stricter. The process to own a gun should come with difficulties and background checks. However, that’s not the only problem; we see mass shooters go uncontested too often. The Parkland school shooting met no opposition when he was gunning down innocent kids. The Columbine shooters saw no threat when they planned out their attack. The shooter at Sutherland Springs didn’t expect resistance, instead he ended up with several bullet holes in him, as he should have. The point being made here is that guns are a blessing when placed in the right hands and when in the right places. We don’t know how many more people may have died in Sutherland Springs before police had managed to either kill the shooter or the shooter take his own life. According to the Daily Wire, the average time for police to arrive on scene is between 12.5 to 18 minutes. Most AR-15’s can fire 45 rounds per minute. That’s hundreds of rounds being fired before police even arrive, this doesn’t include the time it takes for them to assess the situation and create a well thought out plan. There could have been a man or woman like Stephen Willeford at any of these mass shooting locations. The people at the Pulse nightclub in Florida were literal fish in a barrel and there was nothing they could have done because it was a gun free zone. That is where the problem lies, and the effects of it can be seen as homicide statistics.
Gun free zones can be found everywhere. Schools, most banks, and any government building are a no go on guns. There’s good reasoning behind not wanted kids to bring weapons to school, but unfortunately it doesn’t stop school shootings from happening. When will people and politicians learn that their system is not working. Police do not arrive soon enough to not have any defensive measures inside a school building. If teachers were armed, shooters would definitely think twice before walking into a school. Of course, there would be some teachers who would not feel comfortable carrying a weapon, and there will those who physically can’t operate a weapon. Even if these laws aren’t passed, there are other viable options. There are hundreds of veterans who are looking for jobs and many more leaving the military who would love to protect children and their schools. Some schools already have police security, but in some situations like the Parkland shooting, the police refused to go inside and confront the shooter. That’s the problem with all these police standards and codes that require officers to stand down and wait till further notice. If today’s police don’t wanna defend and serve like they’re supposed to, then they don’t belong on the force. Much like the military, the police know what they signed up for. So, another problem is the people who swore to protect us are either taught not to engage an active shooter, or any violent suspect, or are too scared for their own safety that they sit outside of a school with an active shooter. Clearly, there are a few things this country can do in order to stop these shootings from happening. Probably more than what is listed above, but a good start would be to either arm teachers who are willing to be armed, hire ex-military to protect schools, or have a stricter selection process for police. These are just a few solutions that might work, and at this point America should be willing to do whatever it takes to protect its citizens without violating our 2nd amendment right.
No gun free zones, ex-military protection, and better police officers.
These things would not be hard for lawmakers to push. The house majority are republicans and all these things could be voted in. However, republicans are notorious for going back on what they promise, and the democrats refuse to do anything beneficial while Trump is president. If both democrats and republicans could somehow come to an understanding that more guns make places safer. All these things would be possible. Responsible law abiding citizens would be happy to take matters into their own hands and do what concealed carriers are meant to. Many military veterans would love to get paid to protect the future generations and protect them from crazy shooters that we’ve seen recently. Lastly, the nation needs better police officers. This doesn’t go for all police, some do their job right, others are just cowards in uniform. Be cautious, if America doesn’t change something soon, these shootings will be the first of
many.