Five Faces of Education Victimized

From left to right: Ryanne Mace, 19, of Carpentersville; Julianna Gehant, 32, of Mendota; Catalina Garcia, 20, of Cicero; Gayle Dubowski, 20, of Carol Stream and Dan Parmenter, 20, of Elmhurst.

Five people. Five different and aspiring individuals. Five young men and women who did nothing more than attend class at their university and were killed for it. What does America have to do to keep its classrooms safe? I have read numerous articles regarding the debate of whether or not it should be allowed for students to bring guns into the classroom for protection. I have a huge issue with this statement. Yes, in certain circumstances it may have been beneficial for the innocent to protect their own lives when they are being viciously attacked. However, I know I would not feel safe if I had a lecture of 300 students and any given individual may have a gun hidden in their backpack. The reason for this is simple - some people may be put over the edge on a bad day and use their weapon in "a spur of the moment" action, when they are normally viewed to be a stable individual no different than your A-student son or daughter. With the upcoming Presidential election, the issue on gun laws still plays a prominent role in our Government. Although this time the issue seems to be put on the backburner in comparison to the Iraq War, healthcare, or the economy, it is still a notable issue of great importance. This is why WE all must do our research and vote in the upcoming election for the candidate who will best represent US in keeping our education system a safe haven for students. As we all know, schools shootings have been a problem for quite a while and the media has enabled us to see these tragic events happen from Columbine, to Virginia Tech, and most recently, Northern Illinois University. Mothers and Fathers, Friends and Family, picture your loved ones in the same scenario of the NIU students above. They walked into their classroom on Valentine's Day for their Introduction to Oceanography class with the expectation of learning, and they never walked out. Now, with that in mind, would you continue to allow individuals to break through the loopholes of our system and obtain access to a handheld weapon to murder innocent human lives, or would you vote for stricter gun laws? More Importantly, my thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of the deceased in the NIU shooting victims, as well as for those who have been wounded and have to live with this struggle for the rest of their lives.