I forgot to mention, HOPE is also just a merit-based scholarship and does not include various other forms of financial aid available to low-income students in these states that do not consider GPA.

I don’t think “gun free zones” solve any problems at all and they certainly don’t make anyone any safer. People who want to hurt others will not be deterred by a sign. By killing or attempting to kill, they are breaking all laws both legislative and moral, so all a sign will do is let the killer(s) know there are a bunch of unarmed people walking around. Background checks prior to gun purchases are already mandatory, even at gun shows. The only time a background check is not mandatory is through private sale or giving a gun to someone. I agree with your comment that the breakdown of the mental health system may be partially responsible. It does seem that the majority of shootings are by individuals with severe mental illness. Hatred and intolerance also lead to violence as was the case in the Charleston church shooting (maybe also some mental illness as well as racists don’t usually go that far).

Honestly, I don’t think there is much we can do to mitigate this problem. I am absolutely not in favor of civilian disarmament as I believe I do have a right to own a gun for my family’s protection. People can still kill without a gun and if someone armed with say an axe broke into my house, I would want a gun rather than a baseball bat to defend my family. I think additional gun control legislation will only hurt the innocent ones who just want to hunt animals and protect their families. These people will lawfully register, pay taxes on, and do whatever else might be required for legal gun ownership if some of the proposed laws eventually pass. In places where gun registration IS mandatory, convicted criminals are not required to register their firearms (they cannot legally own a firearm and to register one would be self-incriminating which is unconstitutional), only innocent civilians (see Haynes vs. the United States court ruling). What purpose does this serve then? The government would then know of everyone who legally owns a gun. It would make mandatory disarmament of civilians SO easy! Yes, this may be delving a bit into conspiracy theory, but I for one do not place all my trust in the government and I think we should take a look at the history of the world before we let the government take away all our freedoms.

Admittedly, the fear of a school shooting terrifies me also and I am not trying to diminish the horror and pain these events have caused by any means. I just think we need to think about the bigger picture and be wary of anything that could lead us down a path of disarmament by the government. We cannot let fear rule our lives. I think encouraging responsible gun ownership, providing opportunities to learn about gun safety, and removing social stigmas of concealed carry permit holders could go a long way. Rather than teach people to be afraid of guns, we need to educate them. I don’t hear (m)any stories in the news about concealed carry permit holders (educated gun owners) accidentally killing people in public because they have a gun on them. Although of course many people disagree, I think a good guy with a gun is important and the more of them we have, the quicker these shooters will be stopped.

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I’m done with the audio book, so if you’re in to that verse a hard copy, I can bring it to class next week. I had several hours of driving over the weekend and it helped it go by a bit better than just the radio!

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