There is one thing for sure: some people will disagree with what I am going to say in this column. In view of the violence and bloodshed in our country, and especially the tragedy of school shootings like the one in Uvalde, Texas, many Americans would like to confiscate all guns and take them off the streets. I do not agree with that and think that guns are getting a bad rap. But please hear me out.

First, there are more than 400 million guns in our nation, with more than 98 percent of them being in the hands of the civilian population. I believe it would be impossible to confiscate them all, especially in the criminal element. However, there are two things I would highly recommend. First, I would ban all assault weapons. It is just a fact that no private citizen has a need for an assault weapon, and they should only be in the hands of the police and the military. Next, I would have the legal age for anyone to purchase a gun to be 21 years of age and then only after a thorough background check, one that is extensive and has some teeth in it.

Here I believe it is important to take a look at the history of guns in our country. Our Forefathers thought it was pretty important for private citizens to own a gun, and that is why they passed the Second Amendment. This system worked great so long as we had family values and morals in our country, along with law and order. Thanks mostly to the media, along about the 1970s our value system began to break down and continues right up to the present day. There are many reasons for this and enough blame to go around. But the bottom line is simply this: we will continue to have high crime rates until we change the minds, hearts and values of the American people.

On the short term, we must take drastic measures to protect the precious children in our schools and a lot of solutions have been proposed, each one costing a lot of money. These range all the way from arming teachers and school staff, placing former law enforcement and retired military in our schools, putting metal detectors and security devices at all school doors, and other measures of which I may not be aware. In my opinion, our only real hope is a long-term solution where we teach Character Education in all of our nation’s schools.

Of course, you know that I have written a book titled, “Your Future Begins Today” that has been developed, and field tested, to teach Character Education, beginning with Preschool. You may say, “That is self-serving”, but that is not the case. I am giving 100 percent of the profits from the sale of my book to this cause. The main portion will go to the local Kiwanis Clubs across the nation to begin Bookcase for Every Child projects. This program targets pre-school children being reared in low-income families, as these children have been identified as candidates to later drop out of school.

With God’s help, we can and will do this.

—

(Jim Davidson is an author, public speaker, syndicated columnist, and Founder of the Bookcase for Every Child project. Since its inception in the Log Cabin Democrat in 1995, Jim’s column has been self-syndicated in over 375 newspapers in 35 states. For a personalized copy of “Your Future Begins Today” send $20, which includes postage and handling, to Jim Davidson, 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034.)