In the wake of several recent murders, shootings and attacks on professional athletes, this year the National Football League is for the first time requiring its athletes to take training on gun ownership and safe storage, complex.com reports.
From the murder of Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor in 2000 to the fatal shooting of former New Orleans Pelicans player Bryce Dejean-Jones in Dallas last year, attacks on NFL and NBA players have prompted many teams to beef up their security, with teams from the Golden State Warriors to the New York Giants hiring bodyguards for athletes.
Although the NBA’s most recent collective bargaining agreement bars players from possessing firearms at arenas or while on the road, and the NFL urges players not to own guns, neither body can legally or morally deny players their right to self-defense—so maybe mandatory training for some players is a step in the right direction.
