Many posts under the article Gun, knife, found at Dabney Elementary” yesterday assigned blame, called for punishment of the children and/or parents, and spoke of how to better police the schools, but very few thought to look at why the child brought the firearm to school in the first place.
While we certainly do not condone the act of bringing a firearm onto a school campus, and while we certainly agree with the fullest extent of disciplinary and legal action as a result of this very serious violation of school rules and state and federal law, we also see a need to more closely examine what compels students to commit such rash, potentially tragic acts that can change the course of so many lives.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, we’re told. The best plan of action for a weapon at school is to prevent it from coming to school in the first place. Is fear of punishment, pat-downs, metal detectors, and a ban on book bags truly the best way to accomplish this? Let your thoughts be known on today’s open line.