Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Vote no on HB1694
Richard Womack recently filed House Bill 1694 in the Arkansas state Legislature, to be heard in committee today. HB1694 removes protections for public schools as gun-free zones under state law. Due to federal loopholes in the Gun-Free School Zones Act, if this bill becomes law, strangers will be able to come into our school buildings with loaded guns.
I have spent my career teaching in high schools and colleges across the state of Arkansas. And here’s the bottom line: I don’t care if I’m sitting at home at my kitchen table teaching my own daughter how to read, or if I’m in a school building teaching your children—I am not going to let a stranger inside with a loaded weapon. And to think that reasonably educated individuals would allow that to happen is unfathomable.
I’m a proud gun owner. I own a 9-millimeter, and you can be certain I know how to use it well. Our right to bear arms and the right to protect ourselves and our families must never be infringed. This bill is not a threat to our Second Amendment rights. It is, however, a threat to the immediate safety of all those who work in or attend K-12 schools.
Extremists in this country are destroying our nation. There can and must be a marriage of gun rights and common sense. This bill, however, is not it. Vote no on HB1694. HAYDEN SHAMEL
Hot Springs