by T. M. Beeker

Created on: February 19, 2008

Every High School in America is a gun, drug, and violence free zone. Stiffer penalties for possession within 1000 feet are part of an effort to curb the rash of violence that currently plagues schools. Has it made a difference? Since Columbine we have had violence grow up to visit colleges, places of work, and places of worship.

Now the NIU tragedy asks if we should make the same move on College campuses, the simple answer is to say yes and expect such violence to end. The realistic answer is no, putting up signs and making stiffer penalties is not the means to curb violence.

The fact is no amount of signs or more harsh penalties will deter a person who has decided that violence is only means to gain what they desire. Be it justice, revenge, or just plain attention bans or prohibitions are mere rhetorical band-aids that do not address the real issue of violence being a natural part of American society.

I take issue with anyone who thinks a silly ban on any dangerous weapon will have any impact on the problem. A gun like a hammer is merely a tool. If you are serious about curbing violence then its necessary to address the cause and not the symptoms of the problem. The gunman at NIU had followed all of the legal requirements to own firearms. The breakdown is a society that inundates its members with violence and then acts surprised when a select few decide to use violence.

How about a ban on violent games? Violent and sexually charged visual media? Many would screech at the attempt to abridge our First Amendment rights, only to howl for restriction if not elimination of our Second Amendment rights. Thinking that such an action would actually solve the problem.

The problem is not guns. It is a society that bombards our youth with violence. Games reward those who can kill the most (Doom, Halo, Grand Theft Auto, etc..) Movies glorify murder and torture of innocents and guilty alike (Saw, The Hills have Eyes, Rambo, to name a few). Television with ever relaxing standards where you win the prize by screwing over the other guys (Apprentice, Survivor, Greatest Race, Big Brother, and Real World). The violence is there all day long in a variety of forms. The qualification being a thin line that designates violence as entertainment being okay but in reality its wrong. Clearly the line has been blurred and violence on a large scale is the result.

On top of all of this is a system that seldom if ever punishes those who perpetrate violence. How many people speak out against the

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