School shootings have been a common occurrence in the United States in the past months. I cannot stop myself from being concerned about the safety of the people inside schools, even when I am not a US citizen. Innocent lives were taken in an instant because of these shootings and there may be more lives at stake if PROPER actions are not taken.

Even if US laws about gun control do not directly affect me in any way, I couldn’t help myself from sharing my opinion on the solutions that the US president – and some Americans – are recommending.

There have been different proposals as to how school shootings can be prevented in the future and one of the recommendations is to allow teachers to have concealed guns in school – this idea is totally, totally, totally absurd.

Allowing teachers to carry guns on campus leans on the notion students planning to attack others will be scared off because they know teachers are armed, which can be more disadvantageous than helpful. If the firearms are not concealed properly and people with ill intentions lay their hands on them while inside the school, it will only aggravate the situation and shootouts can still happen.

Moreover, they have not attributed the shootings on improper gun control but rather on mental health issues. If mental health is the problem, how sure are we that teachers who would have access to guns are mentally stable? The very same teachers, in whom people need to put their faith in to protect the children and the school, may become the victimizers in the end. If this happens, the government will become an accessory to the crime, as it would have allowed teachers to carry firearms on school grounds.

Who can visualize a kindergarten teacher carrying a firearm at school? Where will a physical education teacher hide his gun when he is wearing athletic apparel? And didn’t somebody think that this just allows students and school personnel alike to be one step closer to danger than safety?

To further illustrate the absurdity of the idea, let’s change the location. What if the shootings happened in hospitals; should doctors and nurses also carry guns while they are tending to the sick? What if it happens inside churches or temples; must priests and preachers have firearms to protect their parishioners?

When you see someone throw stones at another, will you give all people stones to protect themselves? Or will you provide stones to those strong enough, with hope they can protect the weak? To make the situation safer for everybody, shouldn’t we take away the stones so no one can throw it?

The most favorable answer is not that complicated. Whatever solution the United States provides for their gun control issues, I sincerely hope that it will be well-thought out and ensures the general public’s safety./WDJ