The fatal shooting of a 107-year-old man at Pine Bluff brought much attention to Arkansas, and, it’s rumored, could earn an “oldest victim” award from the NRA. But the state gunners are not resting on their oars. It appeared momentarily that a state law allowing school districts to arm teachers and other employees as “private security guards” might be toppled by an unfavorable attorney general’s opinion. But the state board that commissions private security guards leapt into action and voted to allow 13 school districts to continue using the law. About 60 school employees will be armed and roaming schoolyards as a result.
Some of these schools are probably K through 12, raising the possibility that kindergartners could be brought down by promiscuous gunfire. If so, those would surely be among the youngest gunshot victims. The children who died at Newtown, Conn., were first-graders, as we recall.
We know what will happen if Arkansas children are harvested while attending school, and it won’t be legislative action to remove guns from the campus. Instead, legislators and the NRA will cry that what’s needed is more guns and more gunmen in school. They’ll get their way, too. No matter how many people are shot to death in America — and there were another baker’s dozen at Washington this week — lawmakers won’t offend gun lovers and gun manufacturers. Are they bought, or just scared? It’s disgraceful, either way.