Why “Gun Free Zones” Are A Sham
Most mass shootings happen in schools and businesses, so why can't people have guns in schools?
In almost every government building you walk into, you will be greeted by a sign telling you that you can’t have a gun in the building. To an unknowing eye, this would seem effective. Shouldn’t saying that guns cant be in a building make the area safer? This concept is absolutely wrong and for many reasons. Allow me to talk about a few. To start with gun control, let’s look at a few states with some of the nation’s strictest gun laws: Maryland, New York, and Illinois. According to an article by Business Insider, the rate of gun ownership in those states is 20.7%, 10.3%, and 26.2% respectively. And according to an article by CNN Maryland, New York, and Illinois had 7, 3, and 11 mass shootings per 5 million residents. Let’s pause for a minute; how would states with strict gun ownership laws and low gun ownership rates have high rates of mass shootings? It’s simple, gun control is keeping guns out of the hands of good citizens. Do you honestly think that a criminal is not going to be able to get a gun if they really want to?
Now let’s look at some states with laxer gun control laws: Texas, West Virginia, and Arkansas. Using the same articles from above, 35.7%, 54.2%, and 61.7% of citizens own guns in those states. Texas is the only state with any mass shootings at 3 per 5 million residents.
Where do most mass shooting happen? Again according to CNN, 70% happen in Schools or Businesses. Every school I have ever been in is a gun free zone and a lot of businesses are as well. Unfortunately, saying that a private business isn’t allowed to say that guns can’t be on the premises infringes on their rights. Since we really can’t do much about that, why are schools still gun free zones?
Now I will agree that you shouldn’t just let anyone with a gun into a school building, but there is something called a Concealed Carry Deadly Weapons License (CCDW). To obtain a CCDW license you must take a course that teaches you about gun laws as well as gun safety. Why can’t people with a CCDW license have guns in a school?
Good guys with guns can protect people and it is time that the government allows them to. Let the citizens of this nation protect people that cannot protect themselves. Teachers and citizens with guns will protect our children.
