what to do about it.
Every time another school shooting happens, tears are wept, memorials are stuffed with teddy bears, parents speak out through their terrible grief, and calls are made to never let such a tragedy happen again. Most of the solutions offered have to do with controlling gun sales or access. But there’s one more politically realistic solution that is usually a liberal favorite, and we need to give it a try with guns: more education. Just like sex education and driver education, there should be gun safety education for young people, too.
It’s actually surprising that liberals haven’t thought of this already since they usually think education is the fix for everything. Many on the Left constantly push this idea that what's needed to solve problems is more education. There's a huge push for mandatory sex education, including on topics such as gender identity education, abortion, and contraception. Now some are even some calling for sexual pleasure to be talked about in a classroom setting.
So, too, driver education is an essential element of coming of age and rightfully results in bonuses and discounts from insurance companies. We’re also told anti-bias training is supposed to combat racism (although it’s debatable whether it actually works). And of course, mental healthcare access has been summoned to curb gun violence, but the casualties keep mounting. Still, for some reason, there has been no move to educate children about guns.
Liberals: If education is the answer for so many other social ills, shouldn't it help solve gun violence too?
Right now, there's a strict divide between people who know about guns and people who don't. Either children grow up learning about guns and having guns in the house, or they learn nothing about guns — other than to fear them, that is.
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An educational course in firearms could cover topics such as how guns work, the history of firearms, the danger they pose, statistics on the role of guns in domestic violence, how to safely use and handle firearms, as well as covering what the laws surrounding guns and gun sales say. Gun education would give children access to something many are missing: actual knowledge about and familiarity with guns.
Having grown up in the liberal enclave of eastern Massachusetts, I have handled guns approximately twice in my life (aside from the Nerf variety, that is). I wish I knew more about firearms, but as it stands, I am both I terrified and awed by the weapons. It’s a problem that so many like me feel this way because guns aren’t going anywhere in our society anytime soon.
That’s why liberals should advocate for that one thing they advocate for in every other difficult situation: education. It fits well within their general mission and would open a dialogue with children about guns, thus debunking the mystery surrounding them. Once children know about guns, how they work, and how to handle them, their power would be diminished.
Firearms education will lead to fewer mass shootings and gun deaths nationwide the same way that comprehensive sex education leads young people to delay sexual activity and make better choices.
Learning how guns work will demystify them, and understanding the consequences of gun violence and its effects will generate empathy for victims. Educators would be able to combat the Hollywood fantasy of the gun-toting villains and beat back the lure of the lone gunman, just as they were able to successfully win children over with education about cigarettes and some drugs.
Children are not dumb, and when given the chance, they prefer truth over falsehoods. An honest discussion that normalizes guns and their use takes away the taboo that is part of what makes guns dangerous. Additionally, it would reduce the risk of children tragically losing their lives in gun-related home accidents, a fact of life that is all too common as things stand.
There are loads of laws on the books to combat gun violence, and every state has grappled with how to handle the balance between Second Amendment freedoms and the necessity of having some firearms regulations. Meanwhile, school shootings keep happening. Legislators keep trying the same failed tactics — but education is the one thing we just haven’t tried yet. Here's hoping that changes soon.
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