In the latest tweetstorm, we heard that if school staff simply had concealed-carry permits and weapons training it would provide a deterrent to school shootings. Surely, we can model for our kids better ways of dealing with difficult people than “deterring” hostility by brandishing weapons and threatening death.
I do not have three bullet points for school safety. And, since I am not a teacher, I do not face the anguish that tomorrow I may hear a sudden P.A. call for lockdown mode; nor do I have to calm and protect 30 third-graders.
But I know that in school we want kids to learn how society works: about friendships, sharing, dealing with bullies, leadership and authority. We want them to learn these things better than we did. We want them to learn how to make their lives better, meaning more friends and less hostility.
Increasing the presence of weapons anywhere, especially in schools, undermines what we want in the learning environment. It increases reliance on the promise of escalating force to settle differences rather than extending love. Let’s show children there are better ways of reaching out and calming than by playing Wyatt Earp in the Wild West.
