I am against gun control. Let me explain. People who want guns, find guns. People who want to hurt people, find a way to hurt people. People who are breaking the law, will continue finding ways to break the law. I've heard it said a million times, "The gun didn't kill anyone. The person who pulled the trigger did."
Nothing breaks my heart more or captures my attention more than a breaking story of a school shooting. I hurt for the kids, teachers and staff, and the parents. I would go crazy with worry waiting for my child to call if their school was under attack. I would be frantic waiting for my spouse to contact me with a message telling me they were okay. I ache for the victims who will never have a chance to grow up.
And, I feel for the family of the shooter. They are now labeled as the 'bad guys' who did something wrong raising a kid like that. I am sure they are hurting too. In the blink of an eye, they become outcasts. The parents of a killer. Few will extend a hand to hold or a shoulder to cry on because they are the enemy.
No one wins in a school shooting. No one.
And yet politicians and the Hollywood set and social media jumps on the bandwagon and begins selling their view. Gun control is screamed from the highest peaks and in the loudest voices. Famous faces begin teary eyed campaigns to rid our world of an evil. Social media reports every last ugly word. And, the worst.... people are paid to protest and hold rallies.
Stop. Don't use a tragedy to promote your politics. This isn't the time.
Take a look at the victims. And the accused. Look beyond the weapon and find the cause. Look at the warning signs and listen for the cries for help. The ones that were ignored until it was too late. Look beyond your own agenda and find the heart of the problem. We have to start looking for answers. Solutions to a problem. Real solutions. Not extra lock down drills, or hiring additional armed school officers, or training teachers to shoot, or installing bullet proof glass and steel doors.
Time. We need to spend time with and on our kids. We need to be aware of what they are doing, saying, and thinking. Before it is too late. Warning signs are there. Kids are not silent. They post, tweet, type. They join groups that are harmful. They read articles that encourage violence. And, yes, social media is a big help in this department. Are social media accounts being monitored? Do we know where our kids are? Do we know what they are doing? Thinking? Why do some people give birth, expect government assistance, then hand their child over to the school to raise?
Resources. Why are we spending billions on movies or games depicting violence, but we're cutting school funding? Why do people spend more time and money on sports than they do on their own children? Schools need our help. It doesn't have to be money. It can be donations or time. Teachers are grateful for ANY help they receive.
We have to stop reacting and start responding. We have to be involved. We can't be too busy. We have to stop throwing insults and waving banners. We have to make time. Now.
(For more of Kim Frencken's writing and information about her educational products, check out her blog Chocolate For the Teacher.
14 comments:
Kim, I sure hope you're reading the comments to this post. I was interested in reading your thoughts but it was extremely difficult to get past your first paragraph. You don't believe in gun control? As in the general public should be able to own any type of gun they want, regardless? Military grade weapons? Do you draw the line anywhere?
If you are a supporter of hand grenade and bazooka control, you won't like this post. I'm not trying to offend, but this is an opinion and .... I don't agree with hand grenade and bazooka control. Also, I'm not trying to open any wounds with the recent school shootings, but I am responding to what I am hearing, seeing, and reading on media.
I am against hand grenade and bazooka control. Let me explain. People who want hand grenades and bazookas, find hand grenades and bazookas. People who want to hurt people, find a way to hurt people. People who are breaking the law, will continue finding ways to break the law. I've heard it said a million times, "The hand grenade didn't kill anyone. The person who pulled the pin and threw it did."
Nothing breaks my heart more or captures my attention more than a breaking story of a school getting demolished with a bazooka and hand grenades. I hurt for the kids, teachers and staff, and the parents. I would go crazy with worry waiting for my child to call if their school was under attack. I would be frantic waiting for my spouse to contact me with a message telling me they were okay. I ache for the victims who will never have a chance to grow up.
And, I feel for the family of the hand grenade thrower. They are now labeled as the 'bad guys' who did something wrong raising a kid like that. I am sure they are hurting too. In the blink of an eye, they become outcasts. The parents of a killer. Few will extend a hand to hold or a shoulder to cry on because they are the enemy.
No one wins in a when people use hand grenades and bazookas to attack a school. No one.
And yet politicians and the Hollywood set and social media jumps on the bandwagon and begins selling their view. Grenade and bazooka control is screamed from the highest peaks and in the loudest voices. Famous faces begin teary eyed campaigns to rid our world of an evil. Social media reports every last ugly word. And, the worst.... people are paid to protest and hold rallies.
Stop. Don't use a tragedy to promote your politics. This isn't the time.
Take a look at the victims. And the accused. Look beyond the weapons and find the cause. Look at the warning signs and listen for the cries for help. The ones that were ignored until it was too late. Look beyond your own agenda and find the heart of the problem. We have to start looking for answers. Solutions to a problem. Real solutions. Not extra lock down drills, or hiring additional armed school officers, or training teachers to shoot, or installing hand grenade proof glass and bazooka resistant steel doors.
Time. We need to spend time with and on our kids. We need to be aware of what they are doing, saying, and thinking. Before it is too late. Warning signs are there. Kids are not silent. They post, tweet, type. They join groups that are harmful. They read articles that encourage violence. And, yes, social media is a big help in this department. Are social media accounts being monitored? Do we know where our kids are? Do we know what they are doing? Thinking? Why do some people give birth, expect government assistance, then hand their child over to the school to raise?
Resources. Why are we spending billions on movies or games depicting violence, but we're cutting school funding? Why do people spend more time and money on sports than they do on their own children? Schools need our help. It doesn't have to be money. It can be donations or time. Teachers are grateful for ANY help they receive.
We have to stop reacting and start responding. We have to be involved. We can't be too busy. We have to stop throwing insults and waving banners. We have to make time. Now.
(The previous comment is parody and is not intended to be mistaken for the authentic drivel which is the inspiration of the parody. Hand grenades and bazookas are controlled by the government, for obvious reaons. In case of a real zombie attack this may be a problem!)
Nice article. So often, comments about gun control are slinging insults, same old cliches from both sides. We need calm, thoughtful, rational presentation of ideas.
While I totally agree if someone wants a gun bad enough, they WILL get one. Criminals are experts at finding a way around the law.
However, using that justification to not making changes in the law makes no sense to me. That philosophy could be applied to other laws in place to protect the public. Why have legal drinking age 21? If a 16 year old wants it, he will find a way to get it. The same goes with illegal drugs. Why wage a "war on drugs"? Why have immigration laws?
I don't think there's going to be a simple solution, I'm not sure there's going to be any solution. But we have to try. That's who we are.
The first and most important step is for everyone to open their minds to seeking solutions. Stop the stereotyping and insulting. Stop thinking "I'm right and you're wrong". BOTH SIDES. Let's turn that energy used to argue into energy for finding solutions.
A nice response to an EXTREMELY difficult problem.
We already have gun control. A gun is a gun is a gun is a tool to be used for it's purpose. In the US, guns are also collectors items (whether you get that or not) and family heirlooms. This may be unique to the US and possibly why there are more guns here than in other countries. The second ammendment is why ordinary people have guns. It is there to let us protect ourselves from invaders and even our own government, should it become out of control.
Society has a tangled mess here that will have to be worked on for quite awhile on many levels.
Parents MUST parent. Work on the marriage, model how to right a wrong, make fun memories, read to your child, talk WITH your child and be aware of what is going on with your child. And now we are learning that you MUST limit screen time. Support your child's learning and school. Once you become a parent, it's not all about you.
Schools must teach. Teachers must be teachers who connect with students and work to not only educate but also grow good, productive citizens. Students should be prepared for life.
The government needs to enforce the laws that are already there and improve how to handle mental illness. Mental illness is SO complex and uncomfortable for all to deal with that it hasn't been handled well at all. This is an area that needs some intense evaluation and action.
Like she said, no one wins in a school shooting. Yelling, accusing and protesting won't win anything either. Everyone doing what they should be doing and helping each other through the hurt and confusion is the place to start.
Kim, I'm disappointed in you. The closed-mind attitude you demonstrate here is one reason we can't have a productive discussion about the issue. "I'm against gun control," you say. End of discussion. I'm disappointed that you repeat NRA talking points instead of doing some critical thinking, the kind of logical thinking I would expect of any teacher. I'm also disappointed that you express such contempt for those whose opinions differ from yours.
And as for your comments about protests, you need to review American history. Protesting is as American as apple pie; it's what we do, and I'm thankful for it. Our nation began with protests against England, which proved to be pretty effective, as were the subsequent protests to give women the right to vote, to end segregation and give civil rights to every American, and to end the Vietnam War.
You're right about the need for better parenting and about all of us becoming more involved in children's lives, especially at school. We need to find specific ways to keep them from going off the rails and destroying themselves and others. Notice that those who commit mass murder with guns are predominately young men. Why is that? We need to find out. At the present time, the NHI and the CDC are restricted in researching the causes of gun violence, largely because the NRA opposes their researching it. Funding that research is one of the legislative reforms that could result from a cooperative discussion about guns in this country. But it will never happen so long as people say "I'm against gun control," and refuse to even discuss the issue and make a sincere attempt to reach a concensus regarding what we can do differently in addressing what is a national crisis.
We are taking the time to listen.
We are hearing that violence is out of control and we need to limit the people who are allowed to own weapons, when we know in advance that they have mental illness or a propensity to commit violent acts.
Some of the comments in this article are absurd.
I respectfully disagree.
We do need to control military armament to keep it out of the hands of the immature, violent, or mentally unstable. I support the 2nd Amendment, but not the right of 18-year-olds or those who are unable pass background checks to buy AR-15 rifles. I support the 2nd Amendment, but do not want teachers to carry guns.
It seems the right time to have these discussions. There are honest, sincere, patriots who want to limit who, what, when, where and how some guns are exchanged.
If not now, when? When would it be convenient to have this discussion?
I believe, as seen in the comments to this post, thoughtful, conscientious, rational minds will prevail on this issue. I believe we'll see limits imposed as to the type of guns available to the general public. No doubt, there'll be quite a lot of push back. There's momentum like we've not seen for a long while. The influence of the NRA is dwindling right before our eyes. Try as they might, I don't think the NRA is going to be able to buy their way out of it this time.
>>>And, the worst.... people are paid to protest and hold rallies.<<<
Who does this?
Who has been paid?
Is this Fake News?
This sounds just like another nutjob lie from the wingnut wurlitzer.
But, maybe Kim will have a link she can post.
I think it's a well written piece. Why is personal responsibility for ourselves and our children such an effrontery to so many of you? Some of you are unhinged.
http://www.theweek.co.uk/91823/us-gun-control-celebrities-donate-millions-to-protest-march
Millions. Does it take millions to put together a protest or march? No. So someone is making money. This article only covers celebrities. If you don't think that there is a wealthy political machine with the opposing views of the NRA that pays to have its views heard, then you don't live in reality.
It isn't the people who take personal responsibility for themselves and their children who are committing acts of mass murder. As adults, however, it is also our responsibility to protect society from those who would.
Just because I don't believe the general population should have access to guns like the AR 15 doesn't mean that I'm "unhinged." I've read a little history on this particular gun and it was not conceived or designed for the general public. It was intended for the military. There have to be more limits/restrictions and I believe there will be, unfortunately the odds are in favor of another mass shooting occurring before limits are imposed / laws changed. We've got to do better.
How facile. Of course folks get guns if tyhe want them - and should be able to do so. Just not military grade assault weapons. Nor should we make so easy for whole categories of bad actors to get handguns, etc. And the guns folks do get should be registered and traceable. Places where these measures have been enacted (through the political process that so offends you), oddly, don't seem to be so afflicted with mass shootings as well as having much lower homicide, suicide and accidental shooting deaths. This is not "politics"; it's an effort to use the political process to make laws that will protect Americans - one of the main reasons we have government.
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