Gun Free Zone Case Study

In 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School was victim of a terrible mass shooting that prompted several states and cities to pass strict gun control measures. This sparked a widely debated and controversial issue for “gun friendly” states in the South and West, who responded with bills that would strengthen Stand Your Ground laws and allow weapons in most public places. The nation continues to be divided on gun control policies, as it is very controversial and continues to be a very hot topic in society today. There has been a rise in gun violence throughout the years, and it has been widely been debated that guns are too easily accessible and there is a continued push for stricter gun laws that can reduce the risk of gun violence.

Some are afraid that by placing guns in school zones, more deaths and homicides will occur. That by giving administrators guns the chance of a shooting will increase tremendously, but the truth is by not placing guns on school property, we are increasing the chance of having our children and loved ones being shot. By allowing our administrators to carry guns in schools, we decrease the chance of someone walking into that school and possibly injuring or killing our students and teachers. The Superintendent David Hopkins of the Arkansas district stated “ The plan we’ve been given in the past is ‘Well, lock your doors, turn off your lights and hope for the best’ That’s not a plan”(“Guns in School” #2). Locking the doors and hoping for the best is not the best way to protect the students and teachers. Arming a number of administrators and allowing them to protect themselves and students is the best way to be

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.

Teachers and other administrators should be trained and required to carry firearms to school. There are many school shootings happening around the world. Teachers carrying firearms could protect their students, fellow teachers, and themselves from being harmed. Teachers will be able to react more quickly while waiting for law enforcement to arrive at the scene. Having teachers and administrators carrying guns will also give students a feeling of safety and 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

The issues following gun control have been very outrageous in my opinion. Let us talk about the city of Chicago, for instance. Chicago is known for its dangers. Being one of the most dangerous cities throughout the entire United States of America, gun violence has been a major issue over the years. As much as people say it will get better, things only get worse. In the Chicago Sun Times article, we take a look at how this issue was attempted to be solved. From the year of 2013 until present day, more than 7,000 weapons were collected each year. Chicago, to most people, is considered to be the murder capital of the U.S. Most of the murders were committed by guns. This is extremely sad, because think about all of the innocent lives that were taken; mothers, children, you name it. One of the main things that contribute to most of the gun violence is the fact that the city of Chicago has many gangs. Gang members will do everything and anything they can to make sure they hurt their rivals, regardless of the outcome.

There have been many pieces of legislation on the state level and on the congressional level regarding guns on school property. A very polarized piece of legislation was introduced in the Nevada Senate. Nevada Senate Bill 286 was created in response to several violent acts involving school shootings (Taylor, 2008). The bill would have given teachers the right to possess and carry guns on school property regardless if the school is a gun-free zone as long as the teacher possessed proper permits the bill specifically required the teacher to possess a concealed weapon permit along with a proof of completion of a specific firearm training program (“SB286,” n.d.). The bill did not pass in the Nevada Senate, but the bill did help to start the much-needed conversation about the ineffectiveness methods of the prevention of school shootings.

President George H.W. Bush signed the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 into law on November 29, 1990, making it a federal offense for “any individual to knowingly possess a firearm at a place that the individual knows, or has reasonable cause to believe, is a school zone.” Subsequently, in United States v. Lopez, 514 U.S. 549 (1995), the Supreme Court held that the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 was unconstitutional as it violated the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution. In reaching this 5-4 Supreme Court decision, Chief Justice Rehnquist, in concurrence with Justices O’Connor, Scalia, Kennedy, and Thomas wrote the majority opinion, correctly determining that Congress lacked authority to pass this law as, even if replicated throughout schools across the United States, the carrying of a gun to school was not a sufficient economic activity that would substantially affect interstate commerce. Contrarily, Justices Breyer, Stevens, Souter and Ginsberg dissented, opining that the Act’s prohibition against firearms in schools had a sufficient connection with interstate commerce and thus, Congress’ application of the Commerce Clause was appropriate. In finding a substantial connection between gun-related school violence and interstate commerce the minority dissenting opinion relied on evidence that gun-related violence near schools is a commercial problem that interferes with the quality of education and thus relates to economic viability, giving Congress

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

Gun free zones do not work like they were designed to. A gun free zone is an area where guns are not allowed, it is a federal law. In 1990, the law was purposed by Joseph Biden and signed into law by the president George H. W. Bush. In 2012 a gunman attacked Sandy Hook Elementary School. The gunman killed twenty children and six teachers. The school was a gun free zone and had no security with no firearms on campus. That same year in Aurora, Colorado, the Cinemark Movie Theater released “The Dark Night Raises” at midnight on July 20th. The killer had twenty-one movie theaters to choose from that were playing this movie. He chose the only one that was a gun free zone. On the July 23, 2015 Chattanooga, Tennessee, a man killed four Marines and a sailor in the Navy. The recruiting office where the men were murdered was a gun free zone. The gunmen knew it was a gun free zine and he wanted to carry out an ISIS terrorist act. Gun free zones do not always prevent crime from happening. Law-abiding citizens die from gun free zones.

The article presented two different viewpoints concerning arming teachers in school districts. Nirvi Shah wrote an article in support of arming teachers and stated that educators know when an emergency situation arises before anyone else because educators are at the front line of action for the school not emergency personnel. An article opposing putting guns in the hands of teachers was published and stated that teachers would rather hold a book in their hands rather than a firearm (“Arming Teachers,” 2013).

In 2015, 13,367 people lost their lives due to gun violence according to Gun Violence Archive. The Archive also states that out of that number, 693 were children from ages 0-11. We can all agree that there is indeed a problem that we have to address. The solution to that problem, however, has been debated by many. I believe the solution to this problem exists in three parts: Mandatory training and licensing along with more heavily secure gun storage, stricter regulations on the purchasing of a firearm—disabilities and criminal records should be more deeply looked into before transaction—and finally, equipping teachers at highs schools with the right kind of weaponry to prevent mass shootings.

Columbine High School, Littleton, Colorado, 1999; Trolley Square Mall, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2007; Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, Virginia, 2007; Westroads Mall, Omaha, Nebraska, 2007; New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 2007; Pearl High School, Pearl, Mississippi, 1997. All of these, except Colorado Springs were in areas designated as gun-free zones, places where state, federal, and/or private property laws and regulations forbid people from carrying a firearm, except law enforcement or security personnel. The only difference between the first four incidents and the last two is the gunman was confronted by someone else with a gun before law enforcement could arrive. Do you feel

The staff puts their students lives before themselves. They care about their students and wouldn’t let anything happen to them. By providing teachers with guns can not only help others survive but also guard their lives everyday. Incase an emergency happens, teachers will be prepared and won’t be anxious. Today, many schools are allowing their teachers to carry guns and keep their students out of trouble.

In a 225-page study by the National Rifle Association, the idea of having armed guards in schools is argued that it could possibly lower the rate of tragic shootings. In this study, led by Asa Hutchinson, he points out an incident where a high school principal retrieved his .45 caliber from his vehicle and stop a student who was trying to flee from the school after he had shot two and wounded 7 other students (Finn paragraph 6). This school shooting is one example of many that have happened throughout history where armed personnel was present and helpful in the detainment of the shooter.