On December 6, 1999, a thirteen-year-old boy at Fort Gibson Middle School in Oklahoma wounded five classmates. The seventh - grader fired randomly with a 9mm semiautomatic handgun at unsuspecting students outside waiting for the morning bell. "I don't know," was the response he gave authorities when asked why he fired and injured his fellow classmates (Yardley, 1). Even more alarming was the horrid incident about a year ago back on April 20; two teens, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, entered Columbine High School and gunned down twelve students and a teacher, also wounding twenty-three others (Drummond 8). These incidents of school violence shock and appall us, especially considering these were the latest of a series of violent attacks / murders by adolescents at school. Between 1992 and 1998, totally excluding the violent outbreak in 1999, 225 school related violent deaths were reported (Marlin 169). If this problem is not solved, America's death toll (of children!) will only increase. Schools must realize that beefing up security is not the solution; the one child not focused on will be the one to bring in the pistols and handguns. Ameri

Many feel that stronger security will stop the violence. However, metal detectors didn't help the three students in Fayetteville, Tennessee gunned down in the school parking lot in May 19, 1998 (Manzo, 18). Metal detectors are good in thought, but armed guards cannot stand at the entrances waiting for a student to walk in with a loaded weapon. By the time someone apprehends the student, he could've already pulled out the weapon and claimed several lives. These only work with constant surveillance and are easily avoided. There are usually several entrances to the school that students would not normally go through i.e. maintenance doors, emergency exits, and kitchen entrances; most schools would not want to fund metal detectors for rarely used entrances with money already scarce.

-Robyn Anderson, purchaser of guns used at Columbine High School

According to a report issued by the Department of Education, over 6000 students were expelled in 1996-1997 for bringing guns into the public schools. Even more alarming, a 1995 survey conducted by the Center for Disease Control found that two in 25 high school students reported having carried a gun in the last thirty days (Rashten, 132). A simple step to curbing these outrageous statistics is to eliminate the sales of handguns altogether. Hunters and sportsmen can defend rifles or shotguns, but can anyone think of a real purpose for a handgun? For protection from attackers in the home? A rifle or shotgun could easily ward off an attacker, but fortunately, are not easily concealed. Handguns are easily concealed, and their sole purpose is to kill people, very alarming, considering that the U.S. Senate estimates that Americans own at least sixty million handguns (Rashten 132).

David Koresh, the Branch Dividian cult leader, purchased at least two hundred automatic and

Semi-automatic guns from Texas gun shows, not to mention thousands of rounds of ammunition (Private Sales at Handgun Shows 10). These "private dealers" are exempt from the Brady Bill, which requires a background check for gun purchases. These dealers must be made to conform to the same rules as any oth

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Approximate Word count = 1450
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)