Hashtag ABG. Anything But Guns. That is the repuglican perspective on the epidemic gun violence continuing to sweep the nation. They blame anything. They offer to investigate anything. They throw money at anything. But they do not address guns as the proximate cause of the deaths and injuries in mass killings.
In Uvalde TX, there were 21 fatalities and 15 injuries. Other mass casualties were in El Paso TX 2019 (23 fatalities, 23 injuries), Parkland FL 2018 (17, 17), Las Vegas NV 2017 (58, 867), Sutherland Springs TX 2017 (26, 22), Orlando FL 2016 (49, 58), and Newtown CT 2012 (27, 2). None of these tragedies was due to an assailant swinging an axe or using any weapon imagined by our Framers of the Constitution. All of them involved 21st century semiautomatic weapons as the killers’ weapons of choice.
Enough magical thinking! Enough intellectual diversion. Enough distraction from realistic solutions and credible ideas to save our children. The answer is simple: focus on the guns. Guns are the culprits. But republican legislators ignore reality and offer only the feeblest improvement – itself a diversion – from their usual “thoughts and prayers,” by suggesting to legislate anything but the guns. Hashtag ABG.
And the latest senseless idea is to arm teachers. Yep, that’s right, put weapons in the classroom where the statistical risk to children is greater from the common presence of guns than any security offered from the rare event of an armed teacher wounding/killing an intruder. Legislators now want classroom teachers to manage 30 kids in chaos, shepherd them to relative safety, access a firearm from its secure storage, AND do what trained officers cannot be depended on to do.
There is general acknowledgement of the poor marksmanship of even trained law enforcement officers in chaotic situations. How can we expect teachers to face down an armed attacker when trained law enforcement officers with superior numbers, weaponry, and training could not / would not do that in Uvalde? Officers there did the natural human thing, not the thing they are paid to do. They gathered outside for their own safety with the pretense of waiting for attack orders that would come only after a confused hour.
Teachers are already expected to parent our children more than they should. Many are expected to train our kids in the 3 Rs as well as in manners, social customs, and sex education when parents neglect these tough subjects. Most teachers are so devoted already to our kids and learning, they buy extra teaching materials from the meager salaries we pay them. And now comes the republican suggestion to have them keep guns in the classroom, too.
Apparently, no one has thought about the logistics. Where would a weapon be stored in the classroom that is quickly accessible, yet ABSOLUTELY secure. Those 4th graders can be devilishly clever at finding stuff in spite of all precautions. It is well known from local, state, national, and international data that the presence of guns (even supposedly secure and controlled) is associated with more gun deaths. Much of that is due to suicides unrelated to mass shootings, but who wants to add classrooms to that statistic? Raise your hand.
There is no deterrent effect of having teachers armed. Mass killers are irrationally determined and hell-bent already. None will be deterred by the prospect of weaponized teachers.
Do Americans believe armed teachers are the best way to protect children? No. Polls taken over a decade have shown Americans in large cities and small towns, regardless of political preference, and in all ages and socioeconomic segments, want more stringent gun control laws than we currently have. Do teachers want guns in their classrooms for defense? No.
Who wants guns in the classrooms? Certainly, the National Rifle Association (NRA) organization supports that. In contrast, actual NRA members and gun-owners in general want better controls on who can buy guns, who can’t, and at what age. That leaves republican legislators in their secure marbled hallways and walnut meeting rooms who pass laws to arm teachers in classrooms. It must be the NRA campaign money that drives republican legislators, because it cannot be a response to majority constituent requests. Hashtag ABG.
Instead, the expected compromise legislation – crafted in the Senate and probably agreed to in the House by the time you read this – is a far cry from what this country really needs. But a mild compromise is the best our gridlocked Congress can produce, thanks to minority filibuster threats and opposition from NRA campaign money to republicans. Hashtag ABG.