Arm teachers!?!? Have we lost what’s left of our collective minds?!! The day I was required to keep a gun in my classroom would be the day I would walk out! And don’t think I’m a loser…. I am National Board Certified and was a Teacher of the Year. Gun ownership is a personal issue and I would no more want gun possession forced on me than many of you out there would welcome giving up your rights to gun ownership.

So, what is the solution? First, would someone please tell me that owning a rapid fire, automatic rifle actually SAVED a life! I mean, a normal, everyday person….sort of like those normal victims who now inhabit cold graves. Have you saved someone’s life with your own rifle?

Second, I cannot believe the authors of a constitutional amendment would have included weapons of war in their writings if such weaponry had existed. Those weapons have a place…in the hands of our military and police…NOT in the possession of the general public. Why do we insist that kids wait until they are 21 to drink alcohol, but allow them to handle and purchase lethal weapons? Common sense would say that children are not ready to handle such weighty responsibility.

Third, we have in our hands the technology to establish a nationwide data base to track and manage gun purchase. We are already tracked through medical, financial, and tax data bases. Surely, having a similar data base to ensure safe gun ownership would help more than it hurt! Surely, saving someone’s life would be worth the freedom gun owners might have to give up…

Finally, at least some responsibility also rests on the heads of…well, of ALL of us. I was constantly surprised by the “harmless” violent rhetoric and actions I often saw in some of my young students. I have also been dismayed at the tech addiction that is sweeping our society. I believe young children have a difficult time separating the fictional violence of these games from the reality of living in community with other people. (Wonder if this same violence addiction has anything to do with road rage…?). Perhaps we all need to take a collective breath and determine to live peaceably, without malice, dealing fairly and respectfully with our neighbors, and walking humbly, give up our obsession with power (i.e. Gun ownership?) and intimidation, seeking out the best in others, rather than provoking their worst.