Everyone Does Not Want To Be Free By H. L Mencken

An American essayist, H.L. Mencken stated, “The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants be safe”. I disagree with this statement because an “average man” wants to live. In order to live you must have two necessities; freedom and safety. I believe neither is more important than one another because being free gives you the opportunity to a safe nation, and a safe nation allows you to be free. You cannot live a life without exploring and growing because that would not be considered living. On the other hand, you cannot expect to be free without safety around you.

Imagine the notion of being defenseless against an individual holding the purpose of wreaking mass devastation on the students and faculty inside of a school. In 2012, Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut endured a tragedy that carries historical significance to the notion of shielding those inside of a classroom in a worst-case situation. When twenty-six students had their life taken away during a school massacre, the thought of permitting teachers to carry handguns during class drew more consideration than ever. The safety of the students inside of a school facility may be in jeopardy as manifested in school shootings such as the ones which transpired at Sandy Hook Elementary School and Virginia Tech, where thirty-two students and teachers lost their lives (History.com). While many feel that presenting teachers with handguns may prove harmful to safety efforts, inflicting such standards would provide instructors and students equally with enhanced protection and overall security.

An evolving and highly debated problem that continues to grow in our society, is the gun control epidemic. Gun violence in America is a national epidemic. Many people carelessly take advantage of Gun use and manipulate the tool without much thought to any repercussions. Many lives have been loss due to people legally or illegally obtaining guns and taking matters upon themselves to be executioners in holding other people's lives in their hands. Specifically, ongoing gun violence in schools have become a horrific catastrophe. It is putting student lives at risk, in a place that is supposed to facilitate a certain level of safety for the students. According to the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, there was 558 gun incidents in schools

We can thank the Patriot Act to longer waits at airports and more scrutiny when it comes to going through Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checks at the airport. We can no longer carry more than two ounce bottles on to planes as well, most people just grumble and get on with it because they

Guns and schools just don’t mix. Of course, this could be arguable from both sides. Only nine out of our fifty states allow guns on campus. Most private universities have the choice to decide if they want to allow concealed weapons on campuses. As for public institutions with the law in its state, they have no choice. Public institutions only have control of what buildings are limited. There are numerous reasons that it could be beneficial, but it can also be a complete catastrophe just waiting to happen. In today’s society, people feel the need to be more protected because of what’s going on in the world. There have been many reported incidents in regards to guns being abused on school grounds. Guns end lives, so it’s imperative that we understand the rules and why they’re so important. In order for people to really understand the pros and cons of having guns on campus, they first must began to understand its safety hazards, retaliation and prevention mechanism.

Freedom is not given, but is innate for every human being and everyone seeks it. Because we are free, we must respect the freedom of others. In America, if one wants to become an astronaut, there are no laws against it. If another wants to pursue a career in acting, there are no laws against it. If Chris McCandless wants to explore the Alaskan wilderness, there are no laws against it. Christopher McCandless, like many adults, simply used his rights and pursued happiness. Because McCandless did something that many fear, does not make him selfish, but instead makes him determined. Christopher McCandless was fearless. He did the unexpected, and his actions made him a hero. McCandless’ life encouraged many people, because he did what made him happy.

IS THIS ACT A BENEFIT FOR THE SAFETY OF STUDENTS OR A HINDERANCE FOR THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS?

Guns are becoming one of the top issues in the newspapers (The Monroe Evening News). There have been 394 incidents of students bringing guns to school in the United States since 1998 (Sutton). Legislators say that the law cannot prevent the tragedy of the fatal shootings in the schools

The safety of schools have been tested more in the recent years with news coverage of the most recent incident in Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, where twenty children and six staff members lost their lives. With the recent rise of school shootings it is no wonder parents are concerned for their children’s safety in schools. Where drugs and peer pressure were once major concerns, in today’s society, we worry about our children dying in the hands of armed shooters. While there is much controversy over how to protect the future of America’s children, lawmakers are supporting a bill to allow armed guards to stand and protect our children in the school systems by creating laws to allow armed security in the schools. “The Indiana amendment's sponsor, Rep. Jim Lucas (R), said he believes mass shootings like the one in Newtown could be prevented by more firearms.” (Resmovits, 2013). In support of armed guards, the National Rifle Association has paid for research

a firearm on school grounds and in school buildings. The right to bear arms is guaranteed

Gun laws have been debated for years now in America, and they have been debtated for various reasons. Recently, the idea of conceal and carry has been brought over to college campuses and schools around our nation. There are two main sides to this controversial topic, people who are for conceal and carry and people who are against it. There have been multiple bills proposed in florida to allow everyday people carry guns on campus. This topic has been a hot debate after incidents like the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting and even more recently the Ohio State shooting. Although the “Right to Bear Arms” is an amendment, conceal and carry should not be allowed onto college campuses and schools due to its potential consequences.

Every day parents send their children off to school with the expectation that they will be returned home safely at the end of the day. However, with an ever increasing number of school shootings some parents are pulling their children out of school because they feel as if school can no longer offer the same sense of security as they once had. Some schools are pressing for the right for school instructors to carry a loaded weapon on campus. School instructors should be allowed to carry a loaded weapon on campus because it helps prevent school shootings, it protects them during school shootings, and gives students and staff an added sense of security.

When it comes down to it, what does everybody pointing guns at each other solve? Do we really want more people to get hurt than needed to? The job of teachers is to teach, not to guard the school. Schools should hire trained armed officers to do that job. Teachers should not be required to carry concealed weapons because of the dangers that it can cause to the school’s safety, the inexperience some have with weapons and the negative message doing so might send to children.

One of the most shocking things I came across when researching was the wide range of crimes punishable by death in

Three people are walking down a New York City street. One is a Black man, one is an Asian woman, and the other person is a White man. One can easily picture the three people walking beside one another because the image is not bizarre or strange, rather; the image is completely normal. The vision is normal because these three American citizens have the freedom to walk where they choose, with whom they choose. The word freedom is often overlooked and taken for granted by those who have it. A popular idea of freedom is: “Freedom lets someone do whatever he chooses to do.” Although this thought of freedom is technically correct, the phrase barely scratches the surface of the idea of freedom.