An Open Letter to Students Protesting School Shootings

            Eight days ago, students at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland Florida found themselves the focus of a mass-murderer who ultimately killed seventeen people. Since the shooting, these same kids have been the focus of a media and political campaign to use their horrific experience, their tragedy to promote a political end. So they have been victimized twice; once by a murderer and once by heartless political hacks dancing in their friends’ blood to achieve a political goal.

            Some students around the country are taking action and are calling for change, real change, change that will save lives. Sadly, a hand full of these students and parents are using the tragedy to promote gun control that has proven to be useless time and time again.

However, not all of the students protesting and calling for change are falling for the scam promoted by dishonest politicians and anti-freedom groups. They want something done that works, that will actually save lives. They aren’t interested in symbolic gun control legislation that will not save one drop of blood. They demand real solutions and so should we all. This open letter is directed to those students who really care about saving kids’ lives.

            Kids, if you really want to make a difference, if you really want to see changes made that will save lives, then I’m on your side. I’ll be your champion in Texas and I will be proud to call you my colleagues. But if all you want to do is pass more gun control laws like those that have proven to be useless at saving lives, then we have nothing to say to one another.

            So what can we do together? How can we really make schools safer? We know laws against guns in school have never stopped a mass-murderer from killing students. We know that laws against murder have not stopped the shedding of innocent blood. So why would any rational intelligent person foolishly believe that yet another gun law would be obeyed by someone who is not only willing to commit murder, but actually wants to commit mass-murder? New gun laws will not save lives and don’t listen to lying political hacks that tell you otherwise. Put your youth, your enthusiasm and your energy into making a change that will make schools safer.

There is something we can do and it will work. How do we know it will work? We know it will work because it works is already working in many schools all over Texas and the nation. Every school must have armed protectors to confront and stop evil people who come to kill our kids. These protectors can be any number of people including law enforcement officers, private security guards, teachers and volunteers who have undergone proper training and background checks.

People who try to use you kids as nothing more than stage props in their political scheme will tell you that “more guns in schools are not the answer.” That’s a lie, pure and simple. In fact, guns in school carried and used by good people willing to risk their lives to save yours are the only way to protect students. Some people call for hardening schools, which is helpful, but this is both cost prohibitive for some school districts and it does not deal with a threat that is already in a classroom.

Texas law has long allowed school officials to authorize people to carry firearms in schools. This is true even if the people authorized are not law enforcement or security officers. After the Sandy Hook Elementary School murders, a few Texas schools went public with the information that they allow some or all faculty and staff to carry handguns to protect their kids. In the years since Sandy Hook, more Texas schools are following suit and some even post a sign notifying would-be mass-murders that students will be protected by armed teachers and staff.

            You may be asking yourselves why a change in the law is necessary, if schools can allow people to carry guns now. The law must be changed for two primary reasons. First, there is a huge untapped pool of men and women that would be honored to serve as a volunteer and protect our school kids. These folks include military veterans and former peace officers whose training and experience make them a valuable resource. Citizens who hold a Texas License to Carry a Handgun (LTC) number approximately 1.5 million, many of whom would also be honored to serve. The Texas Dept. of Public Safety has created a School Safety Course for people who hold an LTC. With this training, these folks would increase the potential volunteer pool dramatically.

            Utilizing this large pool of volunteers requires Texas law that currently applies to volunteer church security personal to apply to school safety volunteers as well. Otherwise, the law will prevent schools from using volunteer security personnel.

            The second reason the law must be changed is ensure that schools utilize these life-saving volunteers, in spite of politics and personal bias by school administrators. Some school boards and/or school superintendents will refuse to use qualified volunteers simply because they don’t like guns. We cannot allow students to be put at rick because of an administrator’s personal bias.

            I have drafted bill for the 2019 Texas Legislative Session that will accomplish this goal of putting armed protectors in every school in Texas.   This plan will work in all states, if state legislatures and the U.S. Congress will pass the necessary laws.

            Kids, if you truly want to save lives, then get on board with this program and support my bill in 2019.  It’s time to ask yourselves, do you want to make a difference, or merely make noise? If you want to make a difference, then you and I are on the same team and together we will win. If all you want to do is make noise, then walk on by, because your fellow students and I have a lot of work to do between now and 2019.