“Attention Staff and Students, we are now going into full-building lock-down.” And now we hide, in a lock-down drill at my place of work. I hide in the blind corner of my workspace and stay very quiet, hoping that the armed intruder won’t know anyone is there. If someone does enter my room, I am supposed to use anything at hand as a weapon to distract the person with a gun, so I can escape, or help those with me escape. I don't work in some high-security, military job, defending dangerous criminals or priceless valuables. I teach middle school. These procedures are a regular practice in the lives of American school children and no one seems to realize how appalling it is. Appalling that the last mass murder of innocent students is just one more incident in a long string of gun deaths in this country. Appalling that it is becoming common-place, becoming routine.
If I see another post on my Facebook feed that says, “Guns don’t kill people; people kill people”, I am going to throw up, or at least throw something. Yes, people do kill people--with GUNS! Of course we have a problem with violence in this country. Of course guns are not the only weapons and, of course, a person bent on murder will find a way to kill. My friends, guns are the issue right now, not bombs, or knives. The weapon of choice for the last mass-murder in the news was a gun, not an “assault spoon” or a rock.
People die of many causes, some violent, some not. Let me pose a question: if I mention a relative who was killed in a car crash by a drunk driver, does my conversation partner point out all the other ways that people die? Do they say, “Yes, but people also die from train wrecks, texting while driving, falling asleep at the wheel, it’s a problem of poor driving in this country, don’t blame the cars.” Do people minimize the issue, saying, “Well, yes, it’s sad that some people are irresponsible about driving under the influence, but there are lots of good, safe drivers out there. There is no point in regulating driving, because only the law-abiding drivers will be punished.” NO, when we deal with auto deaths, we work to make things safer for all drivers through regulation, safer cars, patrols, and enforcement. We examine the circumstances and we make them safer. We don't throw up our hands in defeat and we don't outlaw automobiles.
Many of my friends own guns for hunting, sport, target shooting, and other pursuits. Some of them have conceal and carry permits. For all I know, they may be armed every time I am with them. They have followed the rules to purchase their guns. They have taken classes. They keep them locked up when they’re not using them. I don’t want to take their guns away, even though the fact that they have them doesn’t make me feel any safer. I don’t honestly believe that a good man with a gun is what we need in a crisis. But they are law-abiding citizens who have a right to protect themselves. Good for them! I repeat, I do NOT want to take guns away from regular people. It is time, however, to stop spouting useless rhetoric (on both sides) and actually have a conversation.
We need to have a real conversation about how to keep our children, our teachers, our innocent victims safe from violence. We have to discuss how to make the guns in circulation safer, how to limit access to firearms, how to regulate gun purchases. We have to give teachers a plan to save our lives and those of our students. As a middle school teacher, I am told to sit quiet and hide, unless my room is breached. Then, I should fight. I should be prepared to turn my textbook, my projector, my desk into a weapon to block an armed intruder. I’m sorry, but that is honestly ridiculous. I have a master’s degree in special education, not military training, not law enforcement training, not a black belt in martial arts. I was trained well for my job and I execute it with excellence, but I am not a trained bodyguard. Why do I need to learn how to protect my students from threats while our lawmakers and citizens spout pointless rhetoric across an impermeable wall? Why can't we treat this problem like it IS a problem, and begin to discuss solutions?
I am sorry for the angry tone of this post. My fingers are trembling with frustration as I type. Please, please, someone tell me what to do. Tell me who to write to, what to sign, where to march, who to call on the phone. Tell me how to open a dialogue about this that will not inflame the issue, but will calm the fears on both sides and discuss possible answers. Tell me how to find a middle ground between the personal right to protection and the right to teach school without lock-down drills. Someone please, put down the tired rhetoric and guide me to a solution! I am begging for it.
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