By Gerard Valentino

America’s school systems began enacting zero-tolerance policies in the early 1990’s to address the growing violence they were experiencing at the time. After the tragedy at Columbine, school administrators made the policies so strict that honor roll students were being punished for accidentally leaving bread knives in their car while parked on school property.

Most employers also have a zero-tolerance policy barring weapons, particularly guns, from the workplace. Employees that leave target pistols in their trunk, on company property, in anticipation of a trip to the range after work risk being fired for their choice of sport.

Pacifism is another example of a failed ideology that is philosophically equal to the zero tolerance policies used by schools and businesses. Both take away individual judgment in place of an arbitrary unbending rule. They also have unintended consequences that punish or hurt innocent people, and more times than not fail in their intended purpose of curbing violence.

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