In the month-plus since the school shooting at Sandy Hook, we’ve all heard pretty much everyone get into a hissy fit about whether or not guns in schools (teachers with guns, guards with guns, volunteers with guns) are a good idea. No matter where you stand on the matter, we’re betting you’ll think this incident is a little peculiar.
Last Monday, a recently hired armed guard at a Michigan kindergarten through 8th grade charter school left his unloaded gun unattended in a student bathroom for a moment. We don’t really know how long he left the gun in there, or why, but we do know that no students were involved and it seems that the guard (who happens to be a retired sheriff) will not be disciplined.
Um, come again? We’re grateful no one was hurt, but the official response to this situation by the school seems a bit like the metaphorical ostrich sticking its head in the sand. Sure, nothing serious happened. But something could have happened. What if a kid had gone into the bathroom, seen the gun and freaked out? Hello, traumarama. What if it had been loaded?
Now, we’re not looking to see this guy fired. Everyone makes mistakes…though, admittedly, when you make a mistake with a gun, the consequences are often pretty severe. It’s important to note that if we put guns in schools, there are a lot of things to consider. Like, for instance, what you’re supposed to do with it when you’re going to the bathroom. We’re thinking leaving it on the bathroom counter is not a good idea.
Here are some thoughts other students have had about guns in schools, from PBS NewsHour:
Watch Students Across the U.S. Reflect on Gun Control on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.
Oh, and by the way: We’re not sure if you’ve heard about this one or not, but a five-year-old student in Pennsylvania was suspended last week for saying she would shoot her classmate and herself with a Hello Kitty bubble gun. Yeah, all of that really happened.
Thoughts? Tell us in the comments!
BY BRITTANY TAYLOR ON 1/22/2013 11:32:00 AM
POSTED IN In the News, gun control, school shooting