Guns In School

I intended to sit down and write about the senseless murder of 2 police officers and an innocent bystander in Las Vegas, but was shocked to silence by yet another school shooting.  One might very well ask, "What is this world coming to???" Since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut on December 12, 2012, there have been 74 school shootings.  74 in 18 months!  Something needs to be done, of that there is no question.

But let's not blame guns. Yes, guns were used, but guns do not kill people. They just happen to be the tool of choice. Sort of like how my computer keyboard isn't writing this blog, or my pen isn't writing the rent check. Do we blame the car when someone is killed by a drunk driver?  I repeat, guns do not kill people.  People kill people!  I just don't see how making guns illegal will solve anything.  Just because something is illegal, does that make teenagers less likely to do it?  Underage smoking is illegal.  Underage drinking is illegal. Recreational drug use is illegal. But is that stopping kids?  I'm even willing to go so far as to say that if these things were legal, less young people would be using them. Why? There is no thrill in doing something legal. No peer pressure. No risk of getting caught. Just because obtaining a gun and carrying it to school is illegal, doesn't mean it won't happen. All these teenagers have to do is turn on the TV or movies with people getting killed, and we call it "entertainment." And all they have to do is watch the news to see real-life adults using guns to kill. Once a person has it in their mind to commit murder, being unable to get a gun probably isn't going to stop them. If it wasn't a gun, it would be a knife, or any other weapon.  So let's forget the guns and focus on why.  Why are these kids being so violent?  Why are they so angry?  What can we do to help them know that murder is not the answer?