And That's How The Fight Started.....

It all started out innocuously enough....or so I thought.

The idea was to create a meme....a thought provoking meme on the issue of school safety vis a vis gun safety reform. I won't call it gun control any longer for several reasons, not the least of which is the word 'control' has become a lightning rod in this ongoing debate. And, control really is an illusion when one comes right down to it.

But I digress.

The meme was intended to help demonstrate my belief that gun violence, and the singular focus thereon, can have a harmful effect on school safety efforts overall because gun safety reform efforts are so predominant nationally....especially given the recent spike in gun violence incidents nationally. That includes in, or near, schools, too.

Here's the meme:

The meme was shared on several social media pages and in several groups.

And that's how the fight started.....

The pushback was pretty intense, and it was immediate. It came primarily from, how shall I say this tactfully, 'radical' individuals who push for bans on all guns.

There was one private group I finally decided to leave as a result. The pushback was pretty nasty in that one! Anything that didn't conform to their views on guns, or bans thereof, was roundly vilified and condemned.

• How DARE you posit that a focus on gun safety reform might harm school safety efforts! The NERVE!!!
• BAN ALL GUNS!
• Get this kind of crap out of this forum!!! ADMINS!!!! Delete this post!!!
• I'm not sure you HAVE a mind to change!

And those are just a few of the 'nicer' responses.

I discovered the hard way that that group's members are much like 'radical' members of pro-gun advocacy groups only from the opposite end of the spectrum. Both sides rarely, if ever, seek open dialogue on the subject of gun violence prevention. Nor do they truly understand school safety that well, if at all. It's either their way or the highway, so to speak. In this instance with this group, I finally had enough and chose the highway.

Still licking my wounds, as it were.

Frankly, I was surprised at the lack of civility in the pushback. I expect that from the more radical pro-gun advocates. I did not expect it from pro-gun violence prevention advocates.

Guess I'm still too naïve, even at 72 years of age.

But, again, I digress.

And that's when a friend of mine on Facebook from 'Down Under' (that's Australia for those who might not get the reference), a subject matter expert in risk management by the name of John Salter, weighed in with these words of wisdom:

Truer words of wisdom might be hard to find.

So, where am I going with this? 

I created a poll on Twitter to help ME see if I was on the right track.

After the poll ended, the results, although not overwhelming and certainly not scientific by any stretch of anyone's imagination, pretty much confirmed my premise that gun safety reform can have a harmful effect on school safety efforts:

How so, you ask? 

Well, the first two choices are big picture activities when it comes to school safety that can, and should, include the other two issues as COMPONENTS of those school safety activities. The second two choices are, as stated, components of school safety. They should never be the singular focus of school safety. Not EVER!

The majority of participants in this poll jumped immediately to gun safety related issues, as did members of the group I mentioned earlier in this blog post, when the words 'school safety' were presented; ergo, my assertion that gun safety reform CAN have a harmful effect on school safety efforts if those gun safety reform issues take center stage and stay there.

I rest my case.

So, as stated in the meme that started this kerfuffle in the first place, Change My Mind.

My two cents....

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