Keeping The Faith


Keeping The Faith

I’m glad the nation has a new law addressing gun violence, which was signed just days after the Supreme Court threw out a controversial New York gun law.

But laws regulating who can legally carry a firearm won’t mean much if things keep happening that shake Americans’ faith in the people charged with carrying a gun to serve and protect us: the police.

I still shudder every time I read more details about the terrible shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Reports revealing the lack of training, communication, and determination that kept those officers from breaking into those classrooms make my blood run cold. I’ve seen more determination shown by police officers who chase someone caught speeding on a highway.

Data shows that most active shooters aren’t stopped by the police, but Uvalde’s situation was horrible. Americans who were already worried about law enforcement effectiveness because of police shootings didn’t need to know that when officers had a real reason to use their weapons they did nothing.

Will even more Americans lose faith in law enforcement and security professionals and get their own guns? I hope not.

I’m keeping the faith in law enforcement, because I know that most officers are doing their best to serve and protect. The best officers can be counted on because they keep training, and they welcome chances to work with community members.

But the real key to community safety isn’t the police, or gun laws, or court rulings. It’s our faith in ourselves.

Do we trust our ability to raise our children in loving families with healthy boundaries? For example, my young daughter knows how far she should be from my wife and I when we are out in public.

Do we trust our ability to care for those among us who are less fortunate? You can always find a way to give to someone in need, even if it’s just a few minutes to listen to their troubles.

Do we believe that we still have what it takes to create economic, educational, and health care systems that can provide for us all? This one might look tough these days, but our nation’s history is filled with stories about how we tackled tough times. Even when we didn’t reach our goals, we set them. We had faith in them. That’s the faith I’m still keeping.

Above image: abcnews.go.com

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I share several experiences from my security career in my book Rent-A-Cop Reboot and on our Leumas Publishing YouTube Channel. Check them out!


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