The tragedy at Robb Elementary School, Texas last week has raised a number of questions: how can these shootings be prevented, how to identify seriously disturbed individuals and how to manage gun ownership? There are a number of suggestions ranging from tighter gun control to arming teachers but there is little agreement on what to actually do. While the NRA (National Rifle Association) is still powerful it is unlikely that schools will be safe from the disturbed person who can buy assault weapons.

A Google search reveals that there is a great amount of discussion in the news sections but more disturbing are some of the solutions available in the ‘shopping’ section. There are the more conventional suggestions of bulletproof doors and windows but now we have bulletproof desks and bulletproof backpacks.

Surely when a student has to have a bulletproof desk to feel secure then the world has gone wrong, and a much better solution has to be found. A bulletproof backpack tells a student that they are possibly going to be shot at and that is not something a child especially a primary school child should have to face.

The solution is not to increase the number and power of guns, shame on you NRA but to restrict their use to people that have a proper reason for their use, military, police, farmers and even recreational users but no home should have a collection of assault weapons.

It’s time for kids to smile not cower in fear.

Dennis Fitzgerald,
Melbourne, Australia