By Honest Abe

As Americans, we have a constitutional right to own and use guns. Bullets Both Ways supports this basic fundamental right given to us by our founding fathers. While the writers of our Constitution originally allowed us the right to bear arms as a means to combat enemies of our country through the use of a citizen militia, the right to bear arms has also been interpreted by our courts as the right to protect ourselves and others from harm [1][2].

Sadly, this Constitutional right is under relentless assault by gun control activists in a debate replete with falsehoods. When gun ownership is respected and appropriately used,private citizens can contribute to a safer society. Of primary importance in our society is the need to stop evil that emerges unexpectedly. Responsible, trained, gun-carrying citizens can help law enforcement in our battle against unanticipated acts of evil.

It is our nation’s desire and duty to prevent additional tragedies like the numerous school shootings and other public massacres from happening. The US Department of Justice and FBI have done reports on how to identify and handle these potential risks [1]. Schools to some degree are being educated on how to deal with identifying children who need help and who may pose a potential threat. Recently, however, in the multiple mass shootings in the US, the FBI has sometimes been warned about these potential perpetrators, and nothing has been done to prevent these people from carrying out their heinous crimes. Teachers in Florida identified an “at risk” student as a potential threat and reported the issues, but unfortunately, the incident was not prevented. The mass shooter at the Aurora, Colorado movie theater is a prime example, as was the perpetrator in the recent school shooting in Florida. In actuality, more measures are needed to prevent these tragedies.

As a nation, we haven’t given support for allowing teachers and citizens to arm themselves in schools and public places to assist in preventing, stopping, or minimizing the occurrence of these tragedies. Nor have we honestly considered allowing schools to use professional security details. Both ideas would have allowed lives to be saved. While we cannot prevent every tragedy , we can arm and protect ourselves from disturbed people, challenging them when they initiate their terror. For this reason, it is essential to educate the Public honestly on the gun issue and to allow citizens who are willing to protect others to arm themselves. Law enforcement alone is not going to stop the problem. It’s up to willing and trained citizens with sound morals and values to help build a safe country for all of us, especially our youth.

The argument by gun control activists for banning guns from schools and government places needs to be re-evaluated [2]. Clearly it’s time to take a hard look at allowing properly equipped, willing and trained teachers to use guns when these threats materialize. Banning guns in schools is not working to make our schools safer. Other methods for preventing these incidents have failed as well. Metal detectors, while helping, are still not eliminating these tragedies and are not implemented at every school. And while counseling and better mental health measures are needed to deal with kids identified as potential risks, we continue to fail to prevent these incidents from occurring. Undoubtedly, we need doctors to understand how mental illness is affecting these perpetrators and how they can be identified. But, when a perpetrator walks into a school with the intent to harm and destroy, science and medicine are not going to prevent this individual from achieving his devastation. Somebody immediately present, somebody trained and carrying a gun is going to save lives.

[1] The School Shooter: A Threat Assessment Perspective – FBI Report

[2] McDonald v. Chicago, 561 U.S. 742 (2010)

[3] District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570 (2008)

In future blogs, we will begin to analyze statistics in more detail and reveal truth regarding gun violence. We will also look at ways to help protect our children, teachers, and the general public with the assistance of responsible gun owning and carrying citizens.