The Seniam Report

There’s been a lot of media chatter this past week about the shootings in our High Schools and College campuses and one thing I agree on is that something does need to be done about it, but I don’t think requiring professors and teachers to carry guns is the answer.  That seems to be the problem…Guns in our schools and colleges.

So if the professors and teachers are going to be required to carry a firearm, where is the funds going to miraculously appear to supply all these firearms?  As it is, the teachers in the public schools can’t get funds to purchase the proper tools to educate our students, and annually faced with  School Boards  wanting to cut back on their salaries and benefits due to State education fund cuts.  Our public schools are already deteriorating in their ability to educate our students because of the lack of State funding.

Furthermore, I don’t believe it’s a Teacher or Professors responsibility to assure the safety and security of our schools and campuses.  That responsibility belongs to the State to provide proper security to the students of the public schools, and belongs to the College Administration to make sure their campuses are safe and secure.  The educators already have enough responsibility on their plates.  Today’s teacher don’t just teach, they’re required to be psychologists and be able to note if a student may be acting peculiar or differently than usual, determine whether or not a student may show signs of mental problems and stress, and decide whether to make a report of it or not, on a daily basis, and that depends on whether or not the teacher has the ability.  Our College campuses are the same, and those with an “open” campus where anyone can stray in, has to make security and safety even more difficult.

So let’s say we put a gun in the hands of every public school Teacher and every college Professor.  I still don’t feel my child would be safe attending, and I’m damned sure I’d be home schooling my child instead.  Is it going to be left at a Teacher or Professors discretion to use that firearm?  Think about it.  We’ve seen videos of “trained” Police Officers that aren’t able to make proper decisions and there are Teachers and Professors that use their position to seduce or manipulate students, and State Legislators feel Teachers and Professors will be able to use a firearm at their discretion?  I don’t think so, and I definitely don’t feel it’s fair to put a Teacher or Professor in that position to make that decision.  One Professor already resigned because he refused to have to carry a firearm on campus, and I can’t say I blame him.

It’s my opinion that each State needs more severe punishment for today’s criminals.  Our laws are way too lax, and definitely need to become more strict to deter someone from committing a crime.  As far as stricter gun laws are concerned, they need to go hand in hand with more severe punishment for offenders. Why is this country permitting the sale of military type weapons to civilians?  Yes, we have the right to bear arms, but I see no need for any civilian to have a military type weapon in their possession and should be illegal and outlawed.  If someone is going to legally purchase a firearm, of course they’re not going to have a criminal record, although, I’m sure there are many criminals that might just be stupid enough to try, or even possibly has succeeded the way things are handled these days.  So they’ll find other ways to obtain a firearm, usually by theft, and not going to utilize a firearm that would connect them to it in any way.  So, first, we need to legislate tougher laws against crime and not make it so easy that the criminals have such a lackadaisical attitude toward their actions.

Second, in my opinion, States need to take the responsibility to provide security and safety to our Students and Teachers in our Public Schools and if that means hiring “properly” trained and armed security personnel, then so be it.  Each Public School should have security checked entrances and should be limited to two entrances for Students and Teachers to enter or exit from.  One entrance for those arriving or departing on buss’ and one entrance for those arriving or departing by automobiles.  All other exits are for emergencies, to be kept locked from outside with emergency panic bars on the inside and alarmed should they be opened.  School Administration offices should be placed at the main entrance, with security for anyone entering or exiting and only that entrance available during school hours.

College campus administration needs to be responsible and provide security and safety to our college Students, and in my opinion, no college should be an open campus, but should be a closed campus and “properly” trained security personnel hired, therefore limiting non-student personnel from entering the college campus.

We can’t expect our educators to teach, be psychologists, and be police to our Students, and I don’t feel it’s fair to expect any Teacher or Professor to have to take on the responsibility of being an armed security guard and left with using a firearm at their discretion.

The responsibility of providing our Students with a safe and secure environment lies in the hands of the State Legislatures, and providing funding for trained armed security personnel in each and every school, providing each school with proper security checked entrances and exits, as well as school administration offices located at the main entrance of every school to monitor each individual arriving during school hours.

What’s your opinion?

Seniam Nevets

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