M8 Mondelli

2. The idea of parking lots is intriguing. I do not understand why someone would feel they need a firearm in their car at all times. Workplace violence killed 403 individuals in 2014 out of the 4,679 fatal workplace injuries according to the  Occupational Safety and Health Administration.  You are more likely to die from an accident at work, than from someone else. I feel that we should respect other’s property rights and refrain from bringing a firearm to work.

3. I do not agree with the NRA. Our school district in Fairbanks forbids firearms on the premises, but it has not endangered our rights to bear arms. Gun advocates have been very guilty in politicizing the issue, but some of it comes from the other side as well. I feel this is an issue between the company and their employees because it directly effects them and their daily choices. Depending on how the company views things, you can choose not to work for them.

4. I can understand both sides of the argument, and it something I have struggled with myself lately. While there probably several teachers and other faculty members in Alaskan schools who know how to safely handle firearms and are willing to use them, that is not the case everywhere. I do not think the presence of guns automatically violates the rights of students or other teachers because guns themselves are merely tools. Heart disease and obesity are a greater risk to people than gun violence. According to an  NBC News article, “Heavyburden: Obesity may be even deadlier than we thought,” by Maggie Fox in 2013, almost 598,000 people are killed every year due to heart disease. This is contrasted with a  BBC News article relaying how many people were killed by firearms in 2015 as 13,286. The food we eat is more dangerous.

This does not dispel the fact that gun violence towards children seems to becoming an alarming norm. Arming teachers in Alaska may prove to be effective because our view towards guns is different from someone in a big city area. I would like to think that people who use them safely consider them tools, and not weapons. There are several different variables to consider when discussing guns. Unfortunately, all it takes is one person to misuse it to cause massive destruction. I do not think we pay our teachers enough for the ever increasing amount of responsibility they have. We expect them to educate the nation’s future leaders, teach them life skills, and social interactions, as well as protect their lives. Police officers get several months of training, and hours of experience before they are “qualified” to look after others. What are we doing to assist teachers in this manner.

Based on this argument, I would discourage the idea of arming teachers. Everyone has the right to their own opinion and experiences. With so many different aspects at fault in school shootings and other areas of violence, I believe a multi-faceted approach is required.