Introduced earlier this month by Rep. Dave Agema, R-Grandville, House Bill 5162 would ax (no pun intended) existing laws prohibiting concealed weapons on public school grounds – virtually the only place where Michiganians with proper licensing cannot carry their weapons.

This would allow teachers to arm themselves, with permission of the superintendent, who would deem what firearm training was “appropriate” for that particular teacher. Professional development, the reason we got all those half-days in high school, may one day have new meaning.

In light of recent atrocities of national peril at Columbine High School or Virginia Tech, seventeen Republican lawmakers in our Capitol put their ingenious legal minds together to come up with the best way to prevent a shooting: Figure out how to arm more people.

The mind-boggling, illogical sentiment behind this bill and the current conservative paradigm is fundamentally flawed and, if it were to prevail, downright dangerous to students, teachers, school personnel and parents statewide.

And it is, sadly, a typical conservative response to a tragedy: Run to the Second Amendment because, of course, if more people are armed, fewer shootings will occur.

To protect and serve is what a modern police force is meant to do and, yes, they serve more of a purpose than gleefully arresting underage drinkers. They go through years of training and special arms knowledge in order to protect us. I would much rather have them assisting me in an emergency crisis event than an amateur gun-enthusiast gym teacher.

More problems arise in a hypothetical situation: When the police are called and arrive at a scene, they need to know who the shooter is. With a potential of 30 people armed in one school, who could tell who was doing the shooting amid all the unimaginable chaos?

Not only would this aggravate a situation in progress, but the message being sent by allowing teachers to arm themselves in otherwise peaceful schools is one of laughable hypocrisy. I can only imagine an overzealous teacher saying to a class, “Try pulling any of that stuff in your newfangled video games and I’ll blow your ass away.”

Putting more guns in the classroom is exactly opposite of the message we should be sending to young, impressionable students, especially the ones who may be troubled enough to want to harm others.

It’s exactly the reason these individuals feel the need to cause violence: Being raised in a culture of gore, matched with mental instability, is a potent equation with gruesome consequences.

Instead of outreach for those who need mental evaluation, these legislators look to stop the potential attacker with bullets during a tragedy, not therapy before one happens. This is the plight of our culture unless we undergo some serious changes.

The United States is already the most heavily armed society in the world, with 90 guns per 100 people, and continues to grow by 4.5 million weapons per year. For comparative purposes, India is the second most armed society, with four guns per 100 people.

The Second Amendment is here to stay, inarguably; the extension of it into public schools, among our siblings or relatives who have yet to hit double digits in age, is a disgusting thought.

Rep. Mark Meadows, D-East Lansing, agrees that this is “frivolous legislation that would not keep anyone safe from any type of situation involving a student bringing a gun to school.” He also commented that the legislator who introduced the bill carries his concealed weapon with him on the House floor.

If the other side of the aisle were ever successful in making such a law, our grandparents may not be the last generation with stories of schoolhouse violence – except ours have an all-too-modern touch.

Michael Stevenson is a State News columnist and member of the MSU College Democrats. Reach him at steve391@msu.edu.