Need for Moral Values

            My long-time readers know that I have a lot of respect for Walter E. Williams, a professor of economics at George Mason University. I first heard him express his ideas when he served as a guest host for Rush Limbaugh many years ago. His statements were simple statements of common sense, and he was not afraid to speak to the people of his race as a grandfather or uncle would speak to young relatives. Today I refer to a recent article by Williams and hope that you will follow the link to his article.

            Williams titled his article, “The Real Reason We Have Mass Shootings.” In an effort to help his readers understand that mass murders at schools are a fairly new happening, Williams reminds his readers there was more availability to guns in earlier years without mass murders. He shares the FBI statistic for “2016 that rifles accounted for 368 of the 17,250 homicides in the U.S. in that year.” This means that restrictions on the AR-15 would do little to lower the homicide rate. He also calls out the gun control movement for knowing this statistic to be true even while they call “for more restrictive gun laws [which] are part of a larger strategy to outlaw gun ownership.” He then states his claim.

Gun ownership is not our problem. Our problem is a widespread decline in moral values that has nothing to do with guns. That decline includes disrespect for those in authority, disrespect for oneself, little accountability for anti-social behavior, and a scuttling of religious teachings that reinforced moral values….

During my primary and secondary schooling, from 1942 to 1954, the only time one saw a policeman in school was during an assembly period where we had to listen to a boring lecture on safety. Our ancestors also wouldn’t believe that we’re now debating whether teachers should be armed.

            Williams and I enjoyed childhood and youth in about the same time period. He can remember seeing cops in his school for assemblies, but I do not remember any cops in our schools. There was no need for cops in the schools because we respected the authority of the principle and teachers. We knew that if we got in trouble at school, we would be in bigger trouble at home. We were taught right from wrong, and we were expected to show good behavior at all times.

            The family, school, and church worked together to teach us correct principles, and they expected us to live by those principles. The mass murders in our schools are a direct result of the loss of moral values in our society. The solution is to bring back the teaching of respect for authority figures and obedience to rules and laws. This means teaching the rising generation the basic moral values of yesteryear.