Gun safety must be constantly stressed
In what could have been a horrifying scene, we can only count our blessings no children were injured when a loaded gun was found by a child at West Elementary.
The Colt .45 handgun was not only loaded – but cocked – when a kindergarten student noticed it on the ground. It doesn’t take a vivid imagination to realize the grim possibilities.
Warren County citizens are truly fortunate we are not mourning the death of a child today. We are lucky a family isn’t burying their young son or daughter.
It shows the vital importance of teaching safety awareness at school and reinforcing that information at home. Children must know if they see a gun they are not to touch it. They must report it to a parent, a teacher, a trusted adult.
Safety awareness is something West Elementary principal Troy Jones says his teachers repeatedly stress. Safety awareness starts by telling children what to do if approached by a stranger. It later emphasizes what a child should do if he or she is ever confronted with drugs, knives or guns.
We don’t have to look any further back than Tuesday to realize the value of this information. Having a kindergarten student and a nearby parent who knew what to do could have saved a life.
It also brings into question the lax gun laws we have in this country. For all the gun enthusiasts who defiantly maintain there’s no reason for tighter gun restrictions, Tuesday’s near disaster effectively ends that argument. When a 5-year-old boy can stumble upon a loaded gun near his school playground, no further proof is necessary.
The call for tighter gun regulations must not be confused with our Second Amendment rights. As quoted from the Second Amendment, “The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”
The Standard endorses this fundamental freedom, but the need for modifications is painfully apparent. Our founding fathers likely never envisioned convenient-store robberies and drug deals. It’s unlikely they gave much thought to school massacres and drive-by shootings.
This country is so far submerged in gun violence, Americans have almost built up an immunity. Clint Eastwood shoots 31 men and we call it a quality film.
But it’s not quite so entertaining when our children are murdered in real life. Gun violence loses its appeal when funeral arrangements are made for a 9-year-old who was accidentally shot.
There’s a distinct difference between giving citizens the right to own firearms and giving citizens the right to own firearms with reckless abandon. When a man drops a loaded gun at school and doesn’t even realize it’s missing, it is obvious our stance toward guns is too casual.
Will tighter gun restrictions – especially on handguns – ever be enacted? We don’t know.
That’s why it’s crucial for us to preach safety awareness to our children at home and at school. It may not be this week, or this year, but the chances are high each and every one of our children will stumble upon a gun at some point, whether it be in a closet or on a playground.
As adults, it’s our responsibility to teach children they are not to handle guns. Children need to know when they see a gun, they are to get away and report it immediately.