1 box gallon Ziploc bags - girls

1 box of Ziploc sandwich bags - boys

1 plastic & pocket folder

24 count Crayola crayons

8 count washable markers

2 – 12 pack pencils

1 package of colored pencils

6 glue sticks

2 containers of wipes

If this list of items seems familiar, perhaps it is because you have a child in elementary school. In fact, it was lifted entirely from the list of supplies parents are asked to send in at the beginning of the school year at a local elementary school if their children are entering kindergarten.

It’s a fairly modest list — in my 12 years as the parent of a public school student, I've seen substantially longer lists and spent substantially more money on school supplies in various school years.

In fact, a survey by Savings.com conducted in 2021 found the average American parent spent $272 on school supplies to send kids back to school. Meanwhile, a survey of teachers conducted by AdoptAClassroom.org in the same year found the average American teacher ends up having to spend $750 on their classroom in order to make up for student needs not covered by the district.

Nearly a third of US teachers spend $1,000 every school year in order to make sure students have the supplies they need.

Please keep all these numbers in mind as I take a small turn.

Have you priced a gun lately? Nothing fancy, just your average handgun.

They run from $180 up into the thousands of dollars.

And that’s just a pistol. But what’s a pistol without ammunition? Again there’s a fairly large range with some bullets costing just a nickel and other costing more than $10 apiece. But you never do just buy one, do you?

So let’s say you need to spend $50 to get started.

Oh, and don’t forget, you can’t just walk around with your pistol in your back pocket. You’re also going to need a holster. So let’s add on another $50.

And any responsible gun owner will place their pistol in a locked safe when they’re not carrying it on their person, which will run you at least $75, if not more.

Add it all up, and even an inexpensive handgun is going to cost some $355 just to get someone started.

We can’t even provide our school kids with enough crayons, glue sticks, markers, folders, and pencils to get through kindergarten.

Are you sure the answer is arming teachers?