Making America Safe Again

Making America Safe: Standing for the Second Amendment and Supporting President Trump

By Ryan Petty

In a recent op-ed published by The Washington Times, titled “Make America Safe,” my co-author Aidan Johnston and I laid out a vision for strengthening the security of our communities while preserving our constitutional rights. As someone who has personally experienced the horrors of a school shooting, and as an unwavering supporter of the Second Amendment, I understand the delicate balance between protecting our children and honoring the liberties that define our nation.

This blog post aims to delve deeper into the arguments presented in our Washington Times piece, highlighting why it’s critical that we defend lawful gun ownership, push for measures that actually prevent crime, and support the policies advanced by President Donald Trump to ensure safety and liberty coexist.

The High Stakes of School and Community Safety

My family’s experience with tragedy has shaped not only my passion for protecting children but also my understanding of the policy solutions that truly work. In the op-ed, we emphasized the importance of practical, results-driven strategies for making schools and neighborhoods safer. As we wrote:

We must refocus on proven solutions that address the real threats to children, rather than restricting the rights of responsible, law-abiding Americans.

This reflection stems from a deep-rooted belief: Misdirected policies that target honest citizens do nothing to stop dangerous criminals. Time and again, lawmakers have offered restrictions on lawful gun owners as a one-size-fits-all “solution,” but in reality, these measures rarely address the core reasons violence occurs. Protecting our youth must involve more than slogans or knee-jerk reactions—it requires thoughtful approaches that actually deter or prevent shooters from harming others.

Constitutional Rights and the Second Amendment

Many Americans worry that in the push to increase safety, the government will use tragedies as a pretext to strip away fundamental liberties. Our founders recognized that an armed citizenry is the best safeguard against tyranny and an essential component of a free nation. This remains true today.

In Make America Safe, we stressed:

A robust defense of the Second Amendment isn’t about indulging an archaic privilege; it’s about protecting our families, our communities and the very Constitution that ensures our freedom.

Disarming law-abiding citizens doesn’t neutralize potential threats. Rather, it shifts the balance of power toward criminals and those who would exploit defenseless populations. By contrast, empowering responsible firearm owners creates a deterrent to crime. Communities thrive when they can defend themselves—a principle that stands at the heart of our founding.

The Importance of Accountability

Beyond ensuring our rights remain intact, we must hold our institutions to higher standards. After every high-profile act of violence, we often discover systemic failures—missed warning signs, bureaucratic roadblocks, insufficient training, or poor communication among law enforcement agencies. These lessons are crucial. In our piece, we wrote:

Time and time again, we uncover how government missteps or oversight failures paved the way for tragedy. Fixing these issues is neither optional nor negotiable if we’re serious about safeguarding our schools.

This call for accountability includes everything from ensuring law enforcement responds more effectively to tips and red flags, to reviewing protocols that govern school safety plans. It also means examining how resources are allocated. Simply pouring money into broad programs without measurable impact does not translate into actual protection. The solutions must be tailored, data-driven, and transparent.

President Trump’s Approach to Safety and Freedom

A significant portion of our op-ed praised President Trump’s policies that strike a balance between maintaining security and upholding constitutional rights. Under his leadership, we saw a willingness to confront threats head-on while also respecting the foundational principles of our nation. For example, President Trump repeatedly underscored the importance of reinforcing school safety from the inside out—promoting the concept of armed security for campuses, better mental health resources, and increased vigilance in identifying potential threats.

President Trump’s efforts to protect the Second Amendment also deserve recognition. In an era where many in Washington, D.C., call for strict gun control measures that would primarily affect law-abiding citizens, his administration stood as a counterweight, advocating for the American tradition of responsible gun ownership. By championing policies that empower parents, local law enforcement, and communities, President Trump placed the people, not government bureaucrats, at the center of safety initiatives. His latest Executive Order is another step in both protecting the Second Amendment, but also in restoring it. It states,

Purpose.  The Second Amendment is an indispensable safeguard of security and liberty.  It has preserved the right of the American people to protect ourselves, our families, and our freedoms since the founding of our great Nation.  Because it is foundational to maintaining all other rights held by Americans, the right to keep and bear arms must not be infringed.

Real-World Solutions that Make a Difference

The path to safer schools and communities isn’t a mystery. As noted in Make America Safe, the best solutions start at the local level. We need to:

1. Identify Threats Early: Prioritize programs and technologies that detect warning signs before violence erupts. This includes sharing information effectively among local agencies, mental health professionals, and educators.

2. Hold Government Accountable: Demand accountability from those tasked with safeguarding our children. Structural reforms and better training can prevent the miscommunications and oversights that so often contribute to mass violence.

3. Strengthen Physical Security: Schools should have secure perimeters, controlled entry points, and well-trained personnel capable of responding quickly. In almost all cases, this should include armed resource officers or faculty members who volunteer and are vetted/trained to carry. And every school should have an emergency response solution that automates actions to mitigate harm and aid first responders.

4. Empower Law-Abiding Gun Owners: Support Second Amendment rights for citizens who obtain and possess firearms legally. Many of the current restrictions imposed by federal, state and local governments target responsible firearms owners and serve no meaningful public safety purpose. And the fact remains, criminals don’t abide by gun control laws; restricting honest Americans only makes communities more vulnerable.

5. Advocate for Comprehensive Reforms: Pair security measures with improvements in mental health support, ensuring that those who pose a risk to themselves or others receive help before harming anyone.

A Call to Action

Keeping America safe requires vigilance, thoughtful policy, and respect for individual freedoms. It’s not enough to rely on top-down mandates that do little to address actual threats and, at worst, undermine our liberty. We must push back against the narrative that fewer rights lead to greater security; history—and current events—continue to prove this is a false choice.

My hope, as expressed in Make America Safe, is that we unite around practical, proven measures that secure our communities without sacrificing our Constitutional rights. With President Trump’s commitment to America First policies, as well as his steadfast defense of the Second Amendment, there is a blueprint for ensuring safety and preserving freedom.

We owe it to our children and future generations to safeguard their lives while handing down the liberties that make America unique. By demanding accountability, embracing legitimate security measures, and honoring our founding principles, we can navigate the challenges of violence and come out stronger. In doing so, we answer a fundamental question at the heart of the American experiment: Can a free people protect themselves without surrendering the very rights that make them free?

I believe the answer is a resounding yes—and I invite all patriots to stand with me in defending our Second Amendment rights, supporting President Trump’s proven record on security, and working tirelessly to ensure America remains safe for every family and child.