Uniforms do not decrease the number of weapons brought to a school. Although it has been asserted that students often conceal weapons by wearing baggy clothing, such as jumpsuits and overcoats, a uniform will not prevent a student from concealing a weapon in a backpack or cutout book. Children are encouraged and taught to be creative from an early age, and they may be creative in finding ways to bring weapons to school. Obviously, if weapons are continually brought to school, there will always be a very serious problem of violence and fear that school uniforms can not possibly solve. Furthermore, if a child was misled enough to consider using and bringing a weapon to school, a uniform would have little deterrence value for such a youth.
Uniforms are counterproductive in finding a solution to the gang problem.
Children will continue to join gangs as long the socioeconomics of America continue to force kids to grow up fatherless, in impoverished neighborhoods, sexually abused, or with any other combination of tragedies associated with the social stratum of our youths' environment. If a solution to the gang problem ignores the root causes of why kids actually join and fight for gangs, then the problem of gang violence will never be solved. Most gang problems do not occur in the school. I grant the fact that if we can displace violence outside of the school we should in order to provide a safe learning environment for all students. However, fear would still be perpetuated into the learning environment.