Safety first, Amendment second.

We have all seen the news. 50 dead, 32 wounded. How many student deaths and severe injuries until we finally decide to protect our students?

Five states have allowed schools to arm teachers and administrators with handguns and hours of training to combat the mass shooter menace. ETHS has the responsibility to do the same.

There have been 240 school shootings resulting in injury or death since 2013. The world is becoming increasingly more violent. As a country, we must band together in hopes of eradicating the dangers that students face.

With mass shootings like the Las Vegas massacre occurring, more individuals are learning about firearms and concealed carry licenses. According to an employee that I spoke to at a local gun store, about 50 people come into the store daily. They come in to learn how to defend themselves against mass shooters.

Many school districts have taken a different stance on gun violence across the country, opting to test police response times and how long it takes to clear a school with SWAT officers. As a community, we have a responsibility to protect our students (and staff members) against these menaces. Studying the Las Vegas shooting, we can see that a trend in gun violence is on the rise, but we can’t blame the firearms in use during these terror attacks.

We need to focus on the reason and mentality behind these killers. Firearms are the most effective way to defend lives and property against those in the world who would cause mayhem. For your own sake, please look into concealed carry licenses and classes on how to react to mass shooters.