NORTH CARROLLTON — In the wake of the Sandy Hook shootings in Connecticut, there was an expected call for more gun control and safety precautions in schools. At this juncture here in the Magnolia State, the action on school safety has Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves leading the way.
The 38-year-old Republican has managed to surprise me and most political observers since his first political race in 2003. He won election as state treasurer that year against a more qualified Democratic opponent in the general election, Gary Anderson, who served as the state fiscal officer when Reeves came from political obscurity in Rankin County. Then in the 2011 race for lieutenant governor, he defeated a more qualified candidate in the GOP primary in then-Senate President Pro-Tem Billy Hewes of Gulfport, who not only served in the No. 2 position in the Senate but had been serving in that chamber for 20 years. It is also worth noting that in many political circles, Hewes was believed to be the choice of Gov. Phil Bryant.
Now Reeves, who had no prior service in the legislative body before his election as lieutenant governor, has again surprised many observers with his knowledge of the Legislature and a take-charge approach that is usually more typical of the governor’s office.
Reeves announced this week, in the wake of the recent school shootings, that he is asking lawmakers to approve $7.5 million to increase the number of law enforcement officers in public schools across the state. He is taking the lead on the issue of school safety in Mississippi. While Bryant is calling for a school safety task force, the proposal from Reeves will most likely be the driving force on this state’s reaction to ensuring schools are safe.
The first-term lieutenant governor knows about school safety firsthand. He referred during his announcement to the October 1997 shootings at Pearl High School in Reeves’ home county, where two students were killed and seven others injured after the gunman had fatally stabbed his mother earlier that day.
Also to Reeves’ credit, he knows how to get legislation passed. In this state, many legislators with a less-than-perfect rating from the National Rifle Association will be in serious political trouble. The NRA is a powerful lobby, and the voting records of legislators are carefully watched by the organization. With the devastation of a school shooting, there is no doubt it effects a community forever. It is this writer’s opinion that Reeves’ proposal will easily pass the Legislature and have support across party lines.
The 2013 legislative session has been predicted to focus on improving education in this state. That is where the priority of legislators should be. However, all the good education reforms in the world can be passed and fully funded by the Legislature, but if the school is not safe, it doesn’t mean anything. Every child deserves to go to a school that is safe, where they can learn in a good environment.
• Ken Strachan, a Democrat, is the Carroll County coroner and a former mayor of North Carrollton.
