Policy or diplomacy?

Only seven months ago, 19 children and two adults were brutally murdered by a school shooter at Robb Elementary School. This was the second-deadliest shooting since the 1970s. And, it worked sufficiently to excite America from its deep slumber of neglect around school shootings, even prompting conservative Texas governor Greg Abbott to publicly claim on the Texas House of Representatives’ investigative report on Robb Elementary, “We will begin working with the legislature to develop and implement the necessary changes to improve public safety, school safety and mental health assessment and treatment.” 

Despite all this talk, trifling progress was made in legislation; schools were not made safer, and less severe school shootings and threats continued. In fact, this year has the highest number of school shootings, with a depressing record high of 51 compared to 35 last year.   

On top of that, many politicians used this violence to further their policy, with gun advocates such as former President Donald Trump claiming murders, mass shootings and crimes wouldn’t happen to the extreme degree we have been seeing if there were enough guns for the average person, known as the “good guys.” Many politicians have extended this line of reasoning to schools, pushing for armed educators in hopes of making schools safer instead of apprehending the ones with firearms.

“It’s unfortunate we live in a society where we have to have these conversations about arming people to protect students in school,” English teacher Daniel Barnes said. “Arming teachers or trusted adults as such would do more harm than good; it would add a very ominous — and frankly, unsafe — atmosphere to the building, to see the people who are supposed to be in charge walking around with firearms.”

Barnes is not the only one who is skeptical about the supposed benefits of adding guns. Harvard professor of Health Policy David Hemenway claims “guns make hostile interactions more deadly” and overall worsen a situation. Americans already seem to understand the dangers of adding more guns, with 53% saying gun laws should be stricter than they currently are. If most Americans realize we can’t fight fire with fire, why don’t policies reflect what Americans truly want?

A darker, more nefarious reason underlies policy: rifle associations fund our politicians, effectively controlling and regulating policies to promote guns. Missouri’s senators, Josh Hawley and Roy Blunt, both conservative, have allegedly received nearly $6 million in contributions from the National Rifle Association (NRA). This is shaping our policy, at least more so than public opinion.

In Missouri alone, the Second Amendment Preservation Act, passed in July 2022, just one month after the Robb Elementary shooting, protects gun-owning rights despite Missouri having the most lenient laws among the 50 states. Missouri has no law requiring background checks, no law licensing requirements for owning a rifle, shotgun or handgun. This allows people to carry hidden, loaded handguns in public without a permit or safety training. 

These policies are endangering school students and faculty to promote larger, richer organizations that, in turn, fund politicians. Students’ interests are being ignored, and the worst part is, as non-voting citizens, we have little power over regulating laws, so they reflect our interests.