President Trump met with survivors of the Florida school shooting yesterday to listen to their ideas and concerns about the issue. I think it showed his personal interest and concern about the subject and I give him credit. I could not have sat there and listened to those kids' stories without breaking down myself. They were so heartbreaking.
Many of the kids were very articulate and grown up - especially for people who had suffered unspeakable tragedy so recently. Kudos to them for being able to communicate their feelings and ideas in a comprehensible manner.
Mr. Trump isn't reacting on emotion when he says he wants to do something. He's reacting as a leader. I may or may not agree with everything he comes up with but he's not on TV using it as a political ploy as the previous President used to do. Thoughtful ideas are necessary rather than "Ban military assault rifles and weapons of war." Military assault rifles, real weapons of war, are already banned. AR-15s are not military grade weapons regardless of what the media would have you believe.
I just hope school security is a part of the solution. Banning AR-15s is not going to stop school shootings - because most school massacres have been committed by kids with hand guns, not AR-15s. FBI statistics say rifles in general, including AR-15s, are responsible for only about 4% of homicides in this country while handguns are responsible for 62%. That may be a difficult fact to accept but it is a fact. AR-15s just seem to draw more attention.
Banning AR-15s is not going to stop school shootings. It will only change the way they are reported by the media. School security should be the answer first and foremost. Keeping dangerous people out of our schools is the solution. If they can't get in they can't shoot students in the hallways and classrooms. That's just a simple fact.
Putting armed security in our schools has become necessary. We may not want to accept that fact either but it's true. Allowing those teachers who want to be armed to do so will also help. Some teachers will opt out and that's fine. But I have no doubt there will be many who will be happy to be armed so they can protect their charges. Leave it up to them.
What matters most here is that this issue is debated in a thoughtful manner, leaving emotions out of it. The father who spoke out said this is not the time for arguments about gun control but for solutions to school security. I agree. Make our schools places where bad guys simply cannot get in and you'll solve the greatest problem. Why can so many people not understand that?
Many of the kids were very articulate and grown up - especially for people who had suffered unspeakable tragedy so recently. Kudos to them for being able to communicate their feelings and ideas in a comprehensible manner.
Mr. Trump isn't reacting on emotion when he says he wants to do something. He's reacting as a leader. I may or may not agree with everything he comes up with but he's not on TV using it as a political ploy as the previous President used to do. Thoughtful ideas are necessary rather than "Ban military assault rifles and weapons of war." Military assault rifles, real weapons of war, are already banned. AR-15s are not military grade weapons regardless of what the media would have you believe.
I just hope school security is a part of the solution. Banning AR-15s is not going to stop school shootings - because most school massacres have been committed by kids with hand guns, not AR-15s. FBI statistics say rifles in general, including AR-15s, are responsible for only about 4% of homicides in this country while handguns are responsible for 62%. That may be a difficult fact to accept but it is a fact. AR-15s just seem to draw more attention.
Banning AR-15s is not going to stop school shootings. It will only change the way they are reported by the media. School security should be the answer first and foremost. Keeping dangerous people out of our schools is the solution. If they can't get in they can't shoot students in the hallways and classrooms. That's just a simple fact.
Putting armed security in our schools has become necessary. We may not want to accept that fact either but it's true. Allowing those teachers who want to be armed to do so will also help. Some teachers will opt out and that's fine. But I have no doubt there will be many who will be happy to be armed so they can protect their charges. Leave it up to them.
What matters most here is that this issue is debated in a thoughtful manner, leaving emotions out of it. The father who spoke out said this is not the time for arguments about gun control but for solutions to school security. I agree. Make our schools places where bad guys simply cannot get in and you'll solve the greatest problem. Why can so many people not understand that?
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