This week, on Wednesday, a broken young man took out his anger at the world on former classmates and teachers in Lakeland, FL, killing 17.  He used a semi-automatic rifle to do this.

On Thursday and Friday, I had to explain to my classes what we would do in my classroom in the event of an "active shooter incident."  There isn't a closet in my room, and the wall we formerly lined up against in lockdown drills is actually a shared wall with the hallway.  It is plaster and tile, no match for bullets.  I instructed the students that we would now line up on the far wall which is at a 90 degree angle to the hall wall, and explained my reasoning.

Students looked at me soberly while I spoke, and offered suggestions:  "We should rush the door, if someone comes in," "I'll help you stack the tables, miss,"  and "We're all going to die anyway, so we may as well fight."

It makes me sick that I have to think of things like this, and talk to my students about it, and that they have to accept such talk as normal.

I am not suggesting that the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America is not valid.  But a "well-regulated militia" is not 18 year olds with AR-15s (or 40 year olds for that matter).  No one needs a semi-automatic to hunt to provide food for their family.  And how bad of a shot do you need to be in order to justify having a clip with dozens (or hundreds) of rounds ready-loaded?

Gun owners should be at least as regulated as drivers.  Gun laws should be at least as strong as drug laws.

That's really all I have to say for now.  But "thoughts and prayers" don't now and never have cut it.  We must Do Something.

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