Michael Porter graduated from W. F. West High School in 1993. He was involved in speech and debate, Crimson & Gray, and was a founder of the W. F. West Military Club. The painting of George Washington in our library was donated because of his efforts. Last month, Porter died. He was training a 21 year old friend to shoot a gun. His friend was handling the gun at the time Porter was shot. "The reason why my friend was shot was not because of his inexperience but because of his friend's lack of experience and training," said W. F. West junior David Mauel.

"Many stories are [told about] people killed with empty guns. Teenagers and people think it won't happen to them. There is just a feeling of immortality and that it won't happen," said Janelle Williams, who was Porter's speech and debate teacher.

In the last two years, guns were used to kill more than 60,000 people in the U.S. Murders of people aged 19 and under by guns rose 125% between 1984 and 1990. Every six hours in the U.S., a teenager or preteen commits suicide with a gun. At W. F. West, students are involved in many ways with guns. It might be in hunting, with Rifle Club, or perhaps debating about the issues dealing with guns.

Two hundred and eleven million guns are owned by the American people, and debates are kindled about whether or not guns should be around. "They are not necessary in society. Too many innocent people are killed by Ūrearms. Too many psychos are out there with guns," said senior Jeff Granger.

On the contrary, Steve Kostanich, the Rifle Club advisor, believes that the majority of Ūrearms are not used in crimes. "The people who own Ūrearms legally for recreational purposes are getting tired of being blamed for the acts of criminals using Ūrearms. It's a very small amount of firearms that are used with malicious intent," said Kostanich.

One important point in the debate is the instrument of killing. Is it the guns or the people? "Obviously, it's not right to kill people with guns, but people will always be able to have guns and use them to kill people," said senior Kyle Olson.

"They are only manufactured to pierce things with metal objects, [bullets] so having them around can only bring pain and death," said sophomore Josh Panush.

Many students believe that the Second Amendment gives them the right to own a firearm. It states, "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed." Cody Peters shares that opinion. "It is our right to use a Ūrearm, and it is one's personal responsibility to use that Ūrearm responsibly."

Junior Katie Wieland disagrees, "The Second Amendment does not guarantee gun rights to individuals. It clearly says that states can have armed forces for the security of a free state."

Gun laws are filtering their way into the judicial system. "They are not strict enough. They need to be stricter. If you want to hunt that's Ūne, but you don't need some kind of a AK-47 machine gun to blow away a deer," said Granger.

When students are out hunting, guns are their main means of killing the animals. "The reason why I hunt is not for shooting things, but to be with myself in nature," Peters said. On the other hand, some teens like guns simply for their ability to kill. "I like the idea of shooting something," Olson said. "If you want power, you can have it with a gun."

The image of Ūrearms is often viewed of by many as a symbol of power. "It can be a thing of power. In some communities kids will bring them because they feel threatened," said Linda Smith, principal at W. F. West.

Another recreation activity students of W. F. West engage in is Rifle Club. "The whole intention of the team is to promote safe handling of Ūrearms," said Kostanich.

Even though the school has a club involved with guns, it will not tolerate firearms on the campus unless it is pre-approved with the administration. "The district policy is if you come to school with a gun, you are out of here for the rest of the year," said Smith.

The problems with guns in schools are often portrayed by the media in the worst possible light, because of the occurrences of tragedies in urban schools. Perhaps it is different with rural schools like W. F. West. Perhaps it is the same.