On Tuesday, Jan. 15, Biden will announce the list of recommendations he will provide to the president, which he says executive action may be exercised if congress does not cooperate; "There are executive orders, executive action that can be taken. We haven't decided what that is yet, but we're compiling it all with the help the attorney general and all the rest of the cabinet members, as well as legislative action, we believe, is required," Biden said.
It is speculated that among the recommendations Biden will provide are; mandatory universal background checks, banning assault and high capacity ammunition clips, and talks of banning semi-automatic handguns -- measures the NRA are firmly against, and which have sparked a nationwide increase in gun sales, as gun advocates line up outside of gun shops to purchase guns before new gun control legislation is passed.
[Related: Gun Control Advocates See 'Opportune Moment' as Biden Readies Proposals]
The heat has been turned up in Washington as legislators furiously work on ideas to curb gun violence, while at the same time preserving the Second Amendment rights which allow anyone who passes a background check, and in some instances no checking at all, to bear firearms, and acquire permits for carrying one as long as it is concealed.
The Newtown, Conn. Sandy Hook school shooting has sparked a nationwide heated debate over whether or not to arm teachers and other school employees, to prevent future similar catastrophes. Not being the first mass shooting of its kind, where more than one person is shot and killed, ensuing gun control debates, what has tipped the emotional scale of tolerance in the case of Sandy Hook -- is that the incident involved children as young as 6-years-old.
In the same week that Biden held the series of meetings with organizations such as the NRA, gun sports clubs, the entertainment industry and video gaming industry, opting for their cooperation and ideas on how they can contribute to the effort of minimizing gun violence -- a school board in Ohio approved a plan to allow custodians to carry handguns as a way to thwart potential shooters like the one in Newtown, Conn.
“Sitting back and doing nothing and hoping it doesn’t happen to you is just not good policy anymore. There is a need for schools to beef up their security measures,” said Superintendent Jamie Grime, further adding; “Having guns in the hands of the right people are not a hindrance. They are a means to protect.”-- but is arming school employees, including teachers, the answer to minimizing a shooting like the one in the Newton, Conn. school?
[ Related: Armed Janitors Approved By Montpelier, Ohio, School Board To Stop School Shootings ]
Prior to the Ohio approved measure of arming school employees, 200 teachers in Utah were given a six hour training course on how to handle a concealed weapon, and are also planning to approve measures like in Ohio, for their schools -- however, there seems to be no existing proof that arming school employees would deter a shooter like Adam Lanza; in truth -- it seems to be a shot in the dark.
[ Related: 200 Utah teachers to attend free gun training program ]
The Newtown Conn. shooting seems to have shifted most gun control focus to only schools, while mention of similar incidents outside of schools have been drowned in its wake. If it is believed that the answer to school shootings is to arm its employees -- then will other establishments such as hospitals, malls, movie theaters, among other public facilities have the right to do the same, and will they?
Also, will the public have the right to carry their own concealed weapons when going to public areas like movie theaters, or malls, for fear that a madman like James Holmes will show up with an assault rifle killing and injuring the innocent?
Arming and training school employees is one thing, but for someone who’s never shot a gun before, or has been in a situation where self defense is necessary -- pulling out a gun and facing an armed madman could prove to be fatal, and turn matters worse.
The psychology of using a gun to defend against another armed person is not the same as the psychology of simple target practice -- when it comes to the real thing, the dynamic of the situations is worlds apart.
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