We learn about history so we don’t repeat it. I heard something like this when I was in high school and I thought this response was a bit silly. Of course, history doesn’t just repeat itself, I thought. But in light of recent events and actions, I might have been a little naive.

So, to shed some light on what I mean, let’s talk guns. Specifically the aggressive attitude toward these inanimate objects that various people positively utilize or criticise or abuse. Since the school shooting in Florida, people have just been yelling at each other about how to solve this issue of gun abuse.

One side is saying, “Stricter gun laws!”

While the other side is saying, “Don’t take away guns, give teachers guns so they can fight back!”

Then the other side says back, “We don’t want to take your guns away, we just want it to be harder to buy one!”

Fair enough, but would that just be the first step to a gun ban?

I don’t have all of the answers that can solve how to make the world a safer place. However, I do have a history book. One that is full of information about war and racism and issues that, as I mentioned earlier, will repeat if we don’t learn from our mistakes. To explain this a little more we will first take a Magic School Bus trip back to a time where you really could “blame it on the alcohol.” “That’s right, kids,” as Miss Frizzle would say, we’re going to look at a little piece of the Prohibition.

If you want a brief timeline of the Prohibition then go here because if I tried to outline all that went on before, during, and after the prohibition then this would turn into a 20-page essay and we don’t have time for that. So, let's get started.

Some people, especially women, had a distaste for alcohol as far back as the early 1800’s. Men were coming home drunk and they thought alcohol was to blame for tearing apart their families. Not their husband's loose morals of course, but the alcohol. So, in 1826 the Women’s Christian Temperance Union thought that banning alcohol would solve this moral dilemma and keep their families together.

To accomplish this, however, there was a need for action. They couldn’t just go on Facebook or Twitter and start a #bansaloons chain. This Women’s Christian Temperance Union took part in what is still a popular form of free speech today. In 1913 the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, with their friends at the Anti-Saloon League, marched on Washington DC, demanding a Prohibition amendment to the Constitution. *Gasp!* A change to the constitution? Who would ever want to do that?

This action, amongst others that may have consisted of protesting and raids like the one that had people pouring liquor down a sewer, led to The National Prohibition Act. This told people it was a no-no to manufacture or sell alcohol. Which probably made it a lot harder for the drunks to get their booze.

So, yay! They won! No alcohol equals better people, right?

Nope. The corrupt people didn't give up just because access to the liquid gold was cut off. Some just got creative and others got rich. The alcohol lovers made hip flasks, hollowed canes, and false books to make sure spirits were always handy. We also can’t forget about the lovely, Al Capone, who “amassed a personal fortune estimated at $100 million as the head of an infamous crime syndicate.” So, of course, where there was Al Capone, there was violence. In 1929, seven men were killed in The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, which was a result of a gang war between Al Capone and Bugs Moran.

What was thought to be the source of the problem, alcohol, was illegal and constitutionally banned. Except, while people thought it would improve morality and life in general, it seemed to make things a lot worse. People were still losing their lives and those who were hell-bent on drinking still got their alcohol.

What has been happening in our schools and on the streets is horrific. People who should not have guns have gotten access to them. With the comparison to the Prohibition, I’m not saying we should all sit back and not try to figure out a way to fix this problem. However, we need to look at our history before we make things go from bad to worse.