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Keep Your Children’s School Gun FreeRonald Porep, SafetyIssues |
Volume 1 Issue 3February 2002 |
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Columbine High School may be the best known school where students died from gunfire but it is far from the only one. |
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In our inner cities, children and teens are being shot right in school
usually by other children or teens wielding guns they buy on the streets
or get from friends. Even outside the cities though in both suburban and
even rural area, children are not safe.
The shot can be at a teacher who gave a student a bad grade – missing the teacher but killing an innocent student. Or, the shot can be at a teen who tried to date the girlfriend of the jealous teen wielding the weapon. |
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Whatever the cause and wherever the school is, our children are in danger of being hurt, paralyzed and even killed by gunfire. We have to stop the carnage before your child gets hurt. How? Push Reality The most important lesson we must teach, claim the experts, is that guns hurt and kill. Your kids are exposed to movies, TV shows and video games that show that guns do not hurt or kill anyone. Parents have to counter that message with the stark reality that the media version of violence is not real. How? Do what it takes. Have your children read news accounts of the use of guns against people. Explain that the father shot by a mugger will not be coming home again. The teen shot in a gang fight will be buried instead of back in school on Monday. Point out how final death is by taking a trip to the county morgue with your kids if you have to. Whatever it takes you have to counter the fantasy violence your kids see in the media with the reality. That reality will go a long way to teaching kids that a gun is not the way you settle a fight. Fights Do you remember coming home from work a while back and saying to your family that you wish you had had a gun so you could have killed some guy on the road or at work who angered you? What message is that sending to your children? Is that how you wish your children to feel? I doubt it but your children learn by parental example and what you say goes a long way in forming their beliefs. So, watch what you say. Instead of wishing the man who angered you dead, tell your kids what may have caused that guy to do what he did and how reacting to him in anger is not what should happen. Instead, they need to understand why people do things and then forgive and forget. Psychologists will tell you that staying angry at someone – no matter what he did – only hurts the person whom he angered. In the case of your family, it is hurting you and your children. Watch what your family sees too. Did you watch another violent movie on HBO last night and actually cheered when guys were blown away? Or, are your children playing video games in which people are blown to bits? All that sends the message that violence is ok. Spread the Word So ban the violence from your home. Now go one step further. Tell your friends and neighbors what you are doing so they
can ban the violence from their homes too. Gun Free School Have school authorities declare the school a gun free zone. A gun carried by anyone but law enforcement personnel is not allowed in your school. If a student sees anyone carrying a gun, s/he should tell a teacher or the principal about it. Also, violence is not allowed in the school. Whether it is a fist fight between students or a gun pulled by a student, violence should be dealt with quickly and harshly as the serious crime it is. And, have teachers show students how to handle disagreements besides violence. Have discussion groups where students learn to talk out a problem to get a solution. Encourage students to seek out school counselors to talk about problems. Whatever is needed, make the point that violence is not the answer. There are other ways. Intervention Encourage school authorities to intervene with problem students. The first part is identifying them. A student who might use a gun could be the one who hints about violence or threatens other students. He might even have a history of cruelty to animals, destroying property, fighting or a past history of carrying weapons. A student who might use a gun may also feel bullied, humiliated, mistreated, rejected or even suicidal. Or the student may just be preoccupied with violence especially violent fantasies. Whatever the student’s problem, it must be identified and then handled. Handling The Threat All potential threats against students must be dealt with seriously. Any student who seems a threat should be assessed such as his intentions to other students, his mental state and his motivation. How much of a threat is this student to himself and others. School authorities should consult with professionals in handling any student seen as a threat to school safety. How can potential victims be protected from this person? And school officials need to take action. Get the student’s parents involved from the start of course but they are also going to be the school’s primary defense against this student hurting someone. Maybe the student needs a non violence contract between him and the school and his parents. If this student needs counseling, his parents need to be sure he is getting it. While the rights of the potentially violent student need to be protected, others must be protected against the student who may use a gun. Gang Violence Gangs are possibly the primary cause of violence in schools. Because of this, gangs have to be stamped out in the school. Gang symbols on school property should be painted over. Anyone caught putting a gang symbol on school property should be arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Schools are not gang turf and should not be allowed to be identified as such. In the same vein, gang colors or other clothing that
identifies membership in a gang is not allowed on school property. Many
schools have gone to uniforms to stamp out gang clothes. Your children may
not like wearing a drab brown uniform every school day but it gives the
message that gang membership stops at the school gate. Keep Guns Out Of Children’s Hands Do you have a gun in your home? Get rid of it. Turn it in at the next police gun collection. That is the best way of keeping your gun out of the hands of your children. If you feel you must have a gun in the house, lock it up. It should be in a locked box with another lock on the gun. Bullets should be locked up somewhere else in the house. Make it as hard as possible for your children to find your gun if you feel you have to have one at home. And, if you see someone selling illegal weapons in your area, call the police. Many children buy the weapons they use in school on the streets so the fewer people selling guns on the streets the less chance your child will get his hands on one. Know Your Child This may be the most important thing you can do to keep your child safe at school. Look for trouble. Hiding your head in the sand is not the answer. Does your child spend a lot more time alone than he used to? Has your child changed friends especially to ones who make you shudder? Does your child have large amounts of cash? Is his temper more violent or does he have sudden outburst of anger? Is he involved with a gang? Or has your child threatened someone? While no single thing is a cause for concern, a group of such changes should cause you to call your family doctor or a school counselor for help. Most important though, talk with your children. Listen to their problems and try to work through any problems with your child. Keep the lines of communication open so your child knows he can come to you for help. The best way to keep guns out of your children’s school is to get involved – with your children, with your friends and neighbors in fighting crime and violence and with the school. |
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