Reading, Writing and a Ruger Too

Ahh, the old school days that were filled with football games, fight songs, school dances, and an occasional kiss from your sweetheart. These were times of our first car, school pranks, and just hanging out with the guys. These were simple times when the toughest things that we would encounter would be the dreaded Periodic Table. But, once we mastered that, although many of us forgot it as soon as we regurgitated it for the test, life was pretty good. They are fond memories of good times and good friends.

Well, apparently while we were reminiscing, gazing into the sunset, something awful has happened at the old alma mater. Innocent food fights have been replaced with random murders. A good old fashion brawl on the playground has now become a drive by shooting. Instead of teachers issuing an occasional paddling, it is now the teachers who are being whipped. And, I mean physically whipped by the students. First kisses are still occurring, but now it is the teachers kissing, and apparently a whole lot more, the kids. Something has gone terribly wrong here.

And now we find that the debate concerning our schools has turned to whether or not kids should be allowed to have a gun on campus. Not whether or not our math and science grades are where they should be, but whether or not a kid can actually bring a loaded pistol to class. In all honesty, this debate is not for high school but is being held on the college campuses. But still, guns at school; what the heck is going on here?

Well, once you get over the shock that the debate is even occurring, you find out pretty quickly that the debate is actually warranted. Let’s see, maniacal student’s rushing into dorm rooms and classrooms, killing everyone they can before they shoot themselves. Or how about one kid after another who is held up at gun point as they walk home from the library of a friend’s room on the way back to their dorm. Or how about the totally innocent student that gets caught in the crossfire of rival gangs as they shoot across the common grounds of our universities? Suddenly guns on campus don’t seem so far fetched. In fact, it seems completely prudent. Unbelievable, but most definitely prudent.

In fact, some universities already allow firearms on campus. Twenty three states do not ban firearms from college campuses, but only fifteen colleges and universities throughout the country actually allow them. Even for the ones who do allow guns on campus, the student must possess a valid firearm permit, some require extra training before they are allowed to carry. Many other states and universities are looking at the issue with supporters and detractors plentiful on both sides of the issue. Some follow ideological lines concerning the ability, and what they cite as a right, to possess firearms anytime and anywhere and others seem to have limited their opinion to this specific issue. Either way, it is a debate that is far from being settled.

But, no matter which way you might lean, something has to be done to ensure that our kids are safe on college campuses. Current events and a barrage of dead and injured students that have fallen along the way make the issue of student safety one that is tough to defend any longer. It may come down to letting everyone have a gun and risk a modern day shootout at the OK Corral, except that this shootout might occur in the Student Center. Or it may mean not letting anyone on campus have a gun, which makes sense, but figuring out a way to enforce such a premise is apparently a much bigger issue.

Who would have ever thought that we would even be having this discussion? But, should we really be all that surprised? In a time where our safety is no longer presumed in our cars, on our subways and buses, on our airlines, and even in our own homes, why would we think that our schools would be the last of the safe havens? Arguing about guns on campus is nothing more than a scab on a huge sore that has perforated several layers of our society’s tissue. Guns may be the current issue but a lack of self respect, a lack of respect for others and apparently all irrational lines of thought are what drives this conversation and so many others in these troubled times.

In the meantime, and until we finally come to our senses, be sure to add firearms and ammo to the school supply check list. “Besides Mom, everyone else has one!!!” Lock and load and let’s get on with some sentence diagrams, some algebraic formulas, and some good old fashion quick draw lessons. You gotta love it!

If you would like to have Stan speak at your next community event, please send your requests to shallbadgenotes@aol.com