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Friday, February 23, 2018

WIRTW #495 (the “guns” edition)

I am not a gun person. If you want to dismiss what I am about to say because of my dislike of guns, that is your prerogative. Just skip down to the links, or come back on Monday, or don’t come back at all (although the latter is a bit closed-minded).

We have a major gun problem is this country. The solution starts with a conversation about universal background checks for all owners of firearms, mandatory waiting periods, and bans on assault weapons.

Eliminating all guns, however, isn’t the solution. Our gun culture is too well ingrained in who we are as a nation—a nation founded by armed revolution, a “well regulated Militia,” and “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms,” and John Wayne.

But do you know what else isn’t part of the solution? MORE FREAKIN’ GUNS!

Our President has called both for arming teachers and paying them bonuses for receiving gun training. I will not permit my children in a school in which any teacher has a firearm in her desk or strapped to his hip, no matter how much training they have. And while more pay for teachers is a wonderful idea, let’s find a reason to provide it other than John McClane’ing them.

I do not want guns around the American workplace, period. Whether it’s a school, office, warehouse, or whatever. Guns do not belong at or near work (even if my state believes differently about employees’ parked cars on your property).

More guns = less safety. According to a study evaluating the New York Police Department’s firearm training, the average hit rate when suspects did not return fire was only 30 percent; it dropped to 18 percent during gunfights. We cannot, and should not, expect teachers (or our employees) to do better than trained police officers. God knows I don’t want my children (or co-workers) to be amidst the four out of five bullets that do not hit their intended target.

I know this issue is one about which people feel passionately. And I know your opinion may differ. What I also know, however, is that continued political polarization will not solve this problem. And it very much needs to be solved, before any more kids die.

Here’s what I read this week:

Discrimination

Technology

HR & Employee Relations

Wage & Hour

Labor

OSHA & Safety