The public schools in the South Bay are relatively safe. However, a recent shooting at Gardena High School should remind us that in the absolute sense of security, no one is safe. There are no safe neighborhoods, there are not safe schools. The fearful scenario of a criminal taking a gun and shooting up the school remains a remote possibility.
Politicians and leaders throughout the country are screaming about an “epidemic of gun violence.” This sick notion is a perverse ploy to expand state power at the expense of law-abiding citizens who can best protect themselves in the event of a shooting assailant. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg incorrectly denounces an “epidemic of gun violence.” The efforts of law enforcement diminish these tragedies. No matter how many reforms advanced in Washington or in Sacramento, whether in censoring violent media, expanding background checks, or heightening mental health evaluations, this world will remain a tragic world where bad people will commit bad deeds. Life is tragic, and terrible things happen.
Among forty states, Connecticut has enacted concealed carry laws, which permit licensed gun owners to arm themselves. Unfortunately, nationwide legislation has also designated our schools as “gun free zones”, which have turned them into “safety free”zones.
In an immediateconference following the Newtown, Connecticut massacre, NRA President Wayne LaPierre correctly argued : “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.” An immediate reform to preempt this evil would permit one campus employee, a retired police officer or trained security guard, to possess a firearm. This reform must be a choice, not a mandate. Teachers should not have to arm themselves just to get through the day. Every school should have the choice of stationing an armed “good guy” on the campus.