GCE Protection

In our second unit of Argument we learned more about more what makes an argument and about different flaws and contradictions. We studied the US Constitution, and then looked at GCE's Code of Conduct and found all the flaws we could in the document. We then chose a policy and revised, giving our view on the issue. I was proud of the FE I helped make happen in this Unit; it was the closing argument of a trial, and I personally thought it was really interesting to get to see in real life.

The part of the Code of Conduct that I would like to change is the policy:

“Weapons: The possession of any weapons, tools, or objects to threaten the well-being of others (including firearms, knives, etc.) or poses a severe threat to the safety of the entire community. The DC reserves the right to suspend or dismiss a student for an offense which endangers life or health, or poses a special threat to any member of our School community.”

The argument supporting this rule is :
P1: Weapons can hurt people.
P2: Weapons are dangerous.
P3: School is meant to be a safe environment.
C: Weapons shouldn’t be allowed in schools.

The reason I think this should be changed is because of students’ circumstances. Some students may not feel safe without some form of protection, such as a pocket knife or mace. Some students live in bad neighborhoods and don’t feel safe walking home alone without anything. The rule says you can’t possess any sort of weapon, but I think this should be changed to not taking out, using, or threatening to use any sort of weapon that you possess. As long as students aren’t posing a threat to other GCE students or faculty, they should be allowed to possess something to make them feel safe. Students will not be allowed to take out their weapons during school, or make threats with it to any GCE student or staff member, and if they do this privilege will be revoked from them, and the only way they will be allowed to continue bringing a weapon is if they turn it in at the beginning of the day.

Many students live in unsafe areas, and allowing them to carry a weapon with them could stop a lot of bad from happening. These weapons, used for self-defense, are like a key, unlocking the door to safety. They could save a students’ life or prevent a student from getting raped. According to an article “Stranger kidnapping victimizes more females than males, occurs primarily at outdoor locations, victimizes both teenagers and school-age children, is associated with sexual assaults in the case of girl victims and robberies in the case of boy victims (although not exclusively so)” (Bilich). Another report asserts that: “1 in 6 endangered runaways reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in 2014 were likely sex trafficking victims” (Key Facts). Issues like this could be eliminated if a safety weapon were to be carried. GCE doesn’t want any harm coming to their students, and to help make sure our students don’t add to statistics like the ones above, they should be allowed to carry a weapon.

One of our students, MV, stated “I think weapons should be allowed because a lot of students live in bad neighborhoods and feel unsafe walking home alone, and should be allowed something to make them feel safer.” A number of students feel this way, and it is the school’s responsibility to help make them feel safer.

Furthermore, this directly relates to the Second Amendment of the US Constitution- the right to keep and bear arms. This is pretty much the same argument as my amendment, that weapons should be allowed for safety. It protects our right to protect ourselves, and to possess weapons for our own safety.

In conclusion, my argument is that:
P1: Some students travel through unsafe areas before/after school.
P2: Weapons provide a self-defense method and protection.
P3: Students will be safer walking in dangerous areas, with a weapon.
C: Students should be allowed to possess weapons on campus, if they want to, in order to feel safe.

The following video shows what other Chicago students go through in order to safely get to school:

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Work Cited:

-Bilich, Karin A. "Child Abduction Facts." Parents Magazine. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.<http://www.parents.com/kids/safety/stranger-safety/child-abduction-facts/>.
-"Key Facts." National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Web. 10 Mar. 2015. <http://www.missingkids.com/KeyFacts>.
-"A Dangerous Walk to School." YouTube. YouTube. Web. 10 Mar. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h2Yytecex0>.