In the wake of the Newtown tragedy, a steady stream of Republican lawmakers is rallying to arm teachers, volunteers and, in some cases, students to defend against would-be attackers. As I’ve written about before, the concept of arming teachers and others in schools as a primary strategy to prevent gun violence is driven by the fantasy that inexperienced civilians can be trained to deliver a kill shot.… [Read more]
Teachers all across America have been asked to be more than teachers to their students for many, many years. After school programs, sports and other activities are all run by dedicated teachers and, in many cases, those teachers become closer and know more about the lives of the students they coach, mentor or supervise than the students own parents.… [Read more]
The unthinkable tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School left us all horrified with an uneasy feeling of vulnerability. Predictably, as we wrestle with questions about why and how something so gruesome and incomprehensible could happen, some reactions have been strong and swift: more gun control, better access to mental health services. Some have been feeble: curtailing violent movies and video games.… [Read more]
In 1968, I was shaken to learn that a friend’s brother was murdered in front of his home, a couple of doors down the block from my home on Carroll Street in Brooklyn. He was the first person I ever knew to be killed by a gun. I joined the ranks of millions of Americans who have been touched by the violence of guns. … [Read more]
I need your help here for I am completely lost. There is one argument made by gun rights activists that I cannot counter. This particular argument has been troubling me for a long time. Today I decided to write about it after reading in the newspapers about another random death caused by a stray bullet in Seattle.… [Read more]
