By Morgan Thaler
Staff Writer
and Jack Hadley
Contributing Writer
In the wake of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary, he questions have arisen about gun control and school security. Changes in current national gun control policies would not lessen violent crime rates, but changes should be made at Costa in order to make students safer.
After shootings, many people cry for new laws restricting gun use to stop these heinous acts. However, the idea that fewer guns mean less violent crime, when analyzed, has little merit.
In fact, according to Harvard crimi nologists Don Kates and Gary Mausner, the number of handgun owners in the U.S. increased over the past five years, but total violent crime has dropped in each of those years significantly.
The nine European countries with the lowest gun ownership rates have murder rates three times higher than the nine countries with the highest rates of gun ownership. These studies show that the root of violent crime doesn’t come from high gun ownership rates, and a separate cause for the violence must be addressed instead: a failed mental health system.
One proposed change suggested by President Obama is a ban on assault weapons, which had previously been enacted from 1994 to 2004 and was ineffective. The Center for Disease Control and the National Research Council both conducted studies in 2004, finding “insufficient evidence” supporting the claim that violent crime was reduced by the ban. On its face the idea of gun control seems fair, but the positive effects of further regulation are non-existent.
Alternatively, changes should be made in the nation’s crime prevention to stop the people that commit acts of terror like those at Sandy Hook before they attack. Better mental health care access for these people and better detection systems in place to identify them is necessary. Rather than pointing to violence in video games or television, the country should aim to reform the mental health systems to help the people who are likely to be involved in shootings. Strides in detecting those who are likely to commit shootings should start at the schools, with regular mental health screenings from a young age.
At Mira Costa, changes of this nature could be made as well. Costa Principal Dr. Ben Dale says he plans on increasing security presence on campus. One worthwhile change would be an increase in access to mental health care for students who feel they need emotional or psychological support. This increased access could come in a variety of forms, including more available guidance counselors and mental health screenings at school.
Additionally, reminding students that there are already existing opportunities for them to receive psychological assistance on campus should be a priority. The goal of this reform is to lessen the chances of a student executing a school shooting.
In addition, Costa should give campus security guards more power to protect themselves along with everyone else on campus by giving them handguns. While this step may seem drastic, the horrific actions that some people choose to take are even worse. Arming security on campus will give them the potential in some capacity to protect the school in the case of a shooting. Helping students’ mental health is a step in the right direction, but outside threats are just as dangerous.
Preventing gun violence in our nation’s schools should always be an American priority, and keeping Costa safe should be a community necessity. Effective solutions should be based on facts, rather than emotion.
The issue is beyond our interpretation of the Second Amendment; it is whether we want to allow people to protect themselves. Since we want people to remain safe, we must enable them to carry guns. This decision will not endanger Costa, but reforming mental health services is vital in ensuring protection of the school.
Leave a Reply