Japan has a population of over 127 million, but ended 2019 with a gun death rate of just 0.02 per 100,000 people. (In the US it’s 11.9.) One of the biggest factors in this success is that Japan has some of the strictest gun laws in the world.
In order for Japanese citizens to purchase a firearm, they must take an all-day course, pass a written exam, and pass a shooting test, with an accuracy of at least 95%. Applicants must also undergo a mental health assessment at a hospital and do a full government background check. Only shotguns and rifles can be purchased. The course and the exam must be repeated every three years.
Here is another firearms fact that bears repeating and repeating. The more guns a country has, the more gun deaths there will be. It is a fact. We cannot deny it. If you want to reduce the number of deaths in a country from guns, reduce the number of guns. It is also a fact.
The United States has a population of 326 billion people, but we have 393 billion guns. We have more weapons in the United States than we have people. After Brazil in 2019, the United States recorded the second highest number of gun deaths with 37,038.
If you want to lower your chances of being shot, move to a state that has the fewest guns. In Massachusetts, only 14% per 100 people have a gun and they also have the fewest gun deaths.
We cannot ignore the fact that it is easy for children to get hold of guns. Since we do not take gun ownership in the United States seriously, educators need to be concerned about safety. It would be nice if school administrators could expect Americans to use common sense when it comes to gun ownership, but they can’t, because when it comes to guns. weapons, Americans use no common sense; we are totally irresponsible. You could say we are stupid as a fence post, ignorant and irresponsible but stupid is probably the best word.
When it comes to having more guns at the expense of lost lives, we choose guns. This goes for all Americans. We are all in the same boat, we are all guilty. We cherish the guns more than the lives of our children. When we are given the choice between saving 37,000 lives a year rather than saving all of our guns, we choose our guns.
I do not want to get into the gun debate. I own a firearm. I’ve been hunting all my life. I sold at gun shows. I like talking to other hunters who are, for the most part, law abiding, safety first, balanced people. I respect weapons used in sports whether they are used for hunting, target shooting or clay pigeon shooting. The fact remains, however, that Americans are irresponsible gun owners.
Let’s talk about children who need help. One of the biggest challenges for school administrators over the past two decades, really since the Columbine High School shooting in 1999, has been school safety. It is always at the top of the list of minds for school administrators and they spend countless hours ensuring that children, boys and girls, of all ages, can come to school without fear.
Children who kill children have serious mental health problems. But don’t we have school psychologists and school counselors? The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommends that schools maintain a ratio of 250 students per school counselor and that school counselors spend at least 80% of their time working directly with or indirectly for students. Minnesota’s school counselor-to-student ratio falls far short of this best practice, with a reported ratio of 743 students per licensed school counselor (ASCA, 2016).
Here are some suggestions for my colleagues on how to improve counseling for the children’s dilemma. Most, if not all, high schools have some sort of counselor / counselor program where students are assigned a teacher and that teacher meets with them for a few minutes each morning.
Suggestion one: Why not ask the students to choose their advisers rather than letting the teachers select the students? Give students a choice of three teachers they would like to have. Give students who really need a close counselor their first choice. Students are more likely to talk to someone they can trust and who they like to be with.
Second suggestion: There should be a time when a teacher can schedule one-on-one sessions with a student. If we can schedule the parents for one-on-one time with the teachers, we can do the same with the students. It is so important.
Third suggestion: If educators cannot find the time to attend to all students, select those who need the most help and deal more closely with those students. There are usually one or two teachers who know these children and can talk to them. Assign these children to this teacher as a personal advisor.
Suggestion four: There are many retired teachers who, if given the opportunity, could volunteer to counsel a student. They have the experience and if they choose to do it, they have the desire. We need more than just harness the experience and expertise of our retired teachers.
Fifth suggestion: When children find a niche in school, they do better socially, emotionally, and academically. The children who need help the most are not the ones who are involved in school. Why? Because school makes more sense for them. Let’s do a better job of finding something outside of the classroom that the kids can hold onto. Clubs, sports, theater, music, art – there must be something that will make the school more useful.
You know, just because we’re stupid when it comes to guns doesn’t mean we can’t get smarter when it comes to helping kids with problems. Do you think we could also get smarter when it comes to guns?
Screen: My conundrum for you today is why can’t Americans feel the same about preserving student lives as we do about preserving guns? (I don’t have an answer for you.)
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Thanks to Black Bear Dentistry for being the most recent to support our 100% graduation rate initiative.
John R. Eggers of Bemidji is a former university professor and area director. He is also a writer and lecturer.
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