This past month, a 5th grader discovered a loaded gun inside a school bathroom at Somerset Academy Bay School in Kendall. The gun was ‘mistakenly’ left in the bathroom by a security guard after using the restroom. 

Yes, you read that correctly. Armed security left a loaded gun in a middle school restroom. The security guard has since been terminated but the event highlights what appears to be forgotten common sense; having guns in school is dangerous. After the tragedy of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, students in the state of Florida have gone back to school with an increase in security and police presence. Fun fact: police presence does not make schools safer from shootings. 

As Somerset Academy Bay School demonstrates, the presence of armed security, police, and guns can actually make schools more unsafe. It is ironic to see that after the anti-gun violence and pro-gun control, youth mobilizations (example: March For Our Lives) has settled, Floridians now live in an environment where schools have more guns in them. There is absolutely no excuse to justify the potential for a 5th grader, or any child, to discover a loaded handgun in a school restroom. At best, another tragic event was avoided because the student had enough sense to tell someone. At its worst, these incidents are rarely being covered in the news cycle and it continues to normalize the sentiment that the presence of guns will always be deeply tied to the American tradition. Unfortunately, gun control is also a pricey policy. Particularly at a time where teachers in Florida are so underpaid, many are struggling to find affordable housing. The priorities of those who decide how education is funded is clearly distorted.

Schools act as second homes for its students. It is one of the places where they spend a significant amount of their lives. These educational institutions should be a place that prepares its students for the world, not just academically but emotionally and mentally. If schools are not structured in a way that nurtures the emotional development of youth, we will continue to live in a society unsafe for us all. Especially when the majority of students from poor neighborhoods walk into classrooms with significant traumatic experiences. The reality is schools are not equipped to handle every child’s need. Districts across the nation are failing its students because it is easier to fund police and coin it as a solution. Intentionally funding and promoting mental health forces everyone to confront the reality that many schools are not prepared to support their students overall human development. For most career politicians, this endeavor requires too much work and too much risk. So, in the meantime, 5th graders finding the occasional loaded gun on their school is a small price to pay for elected officials and decision-makers who prioritize profits over their students.  

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More examples of loaded guns being found in schools and public places:

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/article208653029.html
http://headdownnews.com/news/student-finds-security-guards-loaded-gun-school-bathroom/
https://splinternews.com/an-alarming-number-of-guns-are-waiting-to-be-found-in-c-1823997714
https://www.sacbee.com/news/nation-world/national/article214692235.html
http://www.nbc-2.com/story/38386864/florida-deputy-leaves-gun-in-burger-king-restroom
https://www.pennlive.com/news/2016/09/teacher_who_left_gun_in_school.html