Posted on 02/18/2018 5:01:33 AM PST by Kaslin
After days of bitter hurt, anger, deep savage argument, and plenty of non-thinking social media trolls blurting whatever comes to mind through their thumbs, it’s time we as Americans begin a genuine discussion about how to stop the next school shooting from occurring.
It’s important that we do this even though gun deaths are by no means the most dangerous form of death in America today.
In 2017, with 300,000,000-plus guns in the hands of Americans, there were 15,549 gun deaths. This ranks less than half the number of automobile deaths even though there are fewer cars in existence than guns. In 2017, there were 253,000,000 cars in existence and 41,000 auto deaths.
Nonetheless, the rhetoric is so loud and the anger so tightly wound that a way forward needs to begin. Genuinely good people on both sides of this issue disagree. Pro-gun people believe that owning a gun is one step of many in helping to keep their families safe and their government from becoming too tyrannical. Anti-gun people believe that the mere existence of a gun is a danger to all. But note that both sets of people desire safety in general.
With very little expertise, but with a robust research ability, my staff and I began looking at this issue this week from the perspective of what could be done that would be tangible, but also acceptable to both sides of the discussion. Here’s seven simple steps that can and should be implemented overnight across the country and in similar fashion school shootings would be eliminated. This list is not exhaustive but is a starting point where good-willed people can come together to make a significant difference now.
This maintains such common sense it's impossible to believe that it doesn’t already happen. This is a bigger failure in the era of post-Columbine than the popularity of the AR-15. How do the largest schools in our nation (Stoneman Douglas is one of the largest at over 3,000 students) not have access points controlled through a metal detector daily? Our courts, government buildings, airports, sports stadiums, conventions, and plenty of other public gatherings demand them.
2. Enforce Everything: Oddly those calling for more laws to be added to the already overly tufted books of law regarding firearms may not realize just how many laws already exist. Simple enforcement of existing laws would cut down on uncounted numbers of people owning guns, possessing guns, and utilizing guns. This is particularly true in the area of those with mental health issues. Begin doing what laws already state must be done, and do so like our children’s lives depend on it.
3. Perform Active Shooter Drills: In many school districts in the nation earthquake drills are performed. No children have died in earthquakes at an American school in years but the drills go forward. “Sequester and Hide” (and then get your cell phone out and begin "facebook-LIVE-ing”) should be replaced with “Barricade, Attack, & Survive.” Young people should be aware of how quickly they can move a teacher’s desk and their own to protect against a shooter. These should be practiced and drilled at minimum in comparison to earthquake drills.
4. Reinforce Doors, Windows, Buses, Locks: Though these things left to themselves were installed and still did not stop the shooter at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, they are able to stop some of the carnage. At the Stoneman Douglas high school, the shooter attempted to shoot through the reinforced glass of the classrooms in an attempt to shoot victims outside the building, but was unable to because of the technology of the glass. That piece of hardened, thickened glass saved lives.
5. Recruit Retired Military & Law Enforcement: The number of qualified public safety professionals that live in our communities is surprising. These friends and neighbors have already received certification and weapons training. Most of them (unless they become criminals) are already allowed to own, possess, and carry firearms. Having them operate the access points at all schools, check every backpack and bag carried onto the premises, and engage every threat be it a firearm, a pocketknife or any other form of contraband — would not only ensure a safer school campus, but also a more rule following, law abiding one. Drugs, porn, and other forms of disruptive materials would be filtered out of the school campus environment on the threat of being discovered every day by the school security professional.
6. Arm All Appropriate Personnel: Giving teachers, coaches, and administrators (only the ones who wish to) the right to protect themselves on campus is a backstop to all other methods. But it is a genuine deterrent nonetheless. If only 5-10% of staff were also armed, certified, and properly trained, there would be no threat that first got through the detectors, security professionals, and the hallways that would still be allowed complete and utter access to the student body. Instead of a coach taking bullets, giving up his life to protect his students, numbers of teachers and coaches would be ready to confront any threat that made it to their area of the campus.
7. Publicize Consequence: The mere knowledge of this list of obstacles to any attacker may not completely dissuade them. But since it was readily apparent that this list of steps would have actually saved some if not all of the lives in Florida this week, one thing can be easily understood. Any individual who decides to try something under these guidelines runs a much larger threat of being caught, captured, and killed if he tries it. So talk about it openly. Do the drills, teach the kids to fight for their own survival, tell the predators in advance that if they choose to attack a school it is open war on them, and before they ever have the chance to enter the facility the daunting challenge they will face will likely be a price too steep for them to be willing to pay.
Israel has already put some of these steps into practice and the nation has seen almost zero school attacks since adopting them.
None of these steps infringe upon law-abiding people’s Second Amendment rights.
All of these steps attempt to stop and engage mentally ill or deliberately belligerent attackers.
This list would make an immediate impact on every school that adopts them.
No common sense American can deny their effectiveness.
Our kids are worth it!
How about just locking the doors.. Allow exit out of any door but entry through only one during school hours that has security and has to be unlocked to let someone in.
There’s a lot of simple fixes that could help immensely.
But not their names or photos, never, after the first “newsworthy” 24 hours or so. They should be nameless, faceless blobs known as the “Las Vegas Monster” or Parkland Monster” etc.
For somebody with zero meaning in their life, and zero recognition, just having their face and name repeated a billion times in the MSM and on social media is enough reason to become a mass-killer. Even if you deride and insult them, their name and face shown on media is enough to spur the next killer to action.
Even the death penalty will not be a deterrent in these cases, where the vast majority commit suicide at the end anyway.
Their names and faces must not be shown, only a pixilated image with something like “the Parkland monster.”
Nobody wants to be known in posterity as a faceless blob called a place and a monster.
A big high school may have 5,000 students. Letting them in one at a time, scanning their bags, searching each one physically, etc., like a high-security airport line, would take all day. Even then - like with airports - weapons could be missed.
Doors have to allow emergency exit, or all the occupants die in a fire. (Can’t get your gun in? Set the place on fire and watch everyone burn/smother!) If you’ve got a door that opens, someone will prop it open while they go out for a cigarette, or will arrange to let someone in at a particular time.
Years ago at my place of work, - a building with armed security guards, an open search policy, card-operated security gates, cameras - a man came in and shot his estranged wife. (She was not seriously injured.) He got in by approaching the gate and telling an employee that he’d left his card in his car, he was going to be late for a meeting ... and the employee passed him in.
In summary, there is no physical security that cannot be EASILY circumvented by people who do not wish to comply.
A big high school may have 5,000 students. Letting them in one at a time, scanning their bags, searching each one physically, etc., like a high-security airport line, would take all day. Even then - like with airports - weapons could be missed.
Doors have to allow emergency exit, or all the occupants die in a fire. (Can’t get your gun in? Set the place on fire and watch everyone burn/smother!) If you’ve got a door that opens, someone will prop it open while they go out for a cigarette, or will arrange to let someone in at a particular time.
Years ago at my place of work, - a building with armed security guards, an open search policy, card-operated security gates, cameras - a man came in and shot his estranged wife. (She was not seriously injured.) He got in by approaching the gate and telling an employee that he’d left his card in his car, he was going to be late for a meeting ... and the employee passed him in.
In summary, there is no physical security that cannot be EASILY circumvented by people who do not wish to comply.
I would take exception to Step 2: Enforce Everything. (By the way, what happened to Step 1 in the excerpt?)
The author later writes, “None of these steps infringe upon law-abiding people’s Second Amendment rights.” Well, the vast majority of existing gun laws do indeed infringe on those rights. There may be some very limited circumstances under which some infringement is necessary (e.g. violent felons and really crazy people), which is a discussion for another time. All of the rest of the 20,000 or so blatantly unconstitutional weapons laws ought to be repealed before trying to enforce the few remaining.
I drive a school bus, also known as the fattest terrorist target in existence.
Terrorists want to inspire fear and anger, and a sense of hopelessness, in their victims. What better way than to kill/capture a bus load of kids? The emotions of the parents and the community would be over the top.
Better yet, the bus delivers the victims right to your street corner. The terrorist doesn’t need to risk attacking a school, where there might be police and other countermeasures. Just wait for the bus and hop on.
But because the school is a gun-free zone, by federal and state law not to mention company policy, I’m forced to drive a livestock truck full of sheep. I’m not allowed to defend “my” kids.
Really?
I got a law we could enact and reduce gun violence nationwide overnight and likely eliminate school shootings and not infringe on any gun rights.
lets call it the GOLDEN RULE , AS IN DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU.
Simple new law , you premeditate to use a firearm in a crime and you shoot someone you receive automatic death penalty by firing squad in public . Let live leak show the video . let all who intend to harm the innocent with the use of a firearm know you are next to get a bullet.
After a few murderers receive justice by firing squad
and it is made to be public viewing I would bet gun crime goes way down.
, Also I noticed on tv there sure was a lot of police there in short amount of time , so lets harden the target with armed police at all time, build a small building to be manned by on duty police at all times school is open , just fill out reports, work on cases do what ever but keep an eye on the entrance at all times. I am sure they do plenty of office work so lets build them a little office at the entrance to every school. park your police car there and spend some office time on guard at the local school and be sure the entire perimeter is well fenced so as all who enter do so under the watchful eye of the law, there certainly seemed to be plenty of them, enough any way to take turns manning the safety outpost at the entrance to the school. I am a General Contractor and I bet I could build a 2 car garage size building “ Safety outpost” for about 30k . I know I sure would feel better knowing my 2 kids have an armed guard watching over the school at all times. You know just like the politicians kids have armed guards at their school in dc , why do our kids not deserve the same level of security??????
The doors were locked at Sandy Hook.
The problem with this is the “democrats” would never buy it. The “democrats” rely heavily on these things to push their communist agenda and disarm the American people.
Why can’t ALL methods to make schools safer and more secure be considered, not just the liberal mantra? These methods would really work!
Imagine a school shooter who couldn’t focus on slaughtering the student body without fear of a bullet in the backside?
I would much have preferred Coach Feis been allowed to CCW in a school with my kids.
I was wondering about that too. Here it is:
1. Metal Detectors In Every School: This maintains such common sense it’s impossible to believe that it doesn’t already happen. This is a bigger failure in the era of post-Columbine than the popularity of the AR-15. How do the largest schools in our nation (Stoneman Douglas is one of the largest at over 3,000 students) not have access points controlled through a metal detector daily? Our courts, government buildings, airports, sports stadiums, conventions, and plenty of other public gatherings demand them.
I agree as all of these are some pretty good suggestions. I mentioned it earlier in one of my posts to follow in the Israelis footsteps who have a similar system in place in order to prevent mass shooting, stabbings or whatever else some mentally deranged subject can think of. The problem is and comes into play with the lefts argument that there is only one solution, and that is complete disarmament. That may work in an absolute peaceful society, maybe some day and well in to the future this may work. But for now, with a society which appears to become more violent and aggressive as time goes on, a great deal due to the erroneous policies of the left. But for now and time being, the solutions suggested seem to make the most sense and most likely could help in preventing another such tragic event. I hope that with a little luck we may find some lawmakers who adopt some of these suggestions and put them to work.
When are we seriously going to address mental illness?
About the time HIV became front and center, early 80’s, privacy rights became the libs battle cry. Somehow the mentally ill seemed to be swept up in all this and it became almost impossible to commit them after they became 18 unless they harm other people or themselves.
About 5 years ago a Virginia senator tried to get his son into a mental institution. State said no. The kid stabbed him multiple times and then committed suicide. Senseless.
The Florida shooter’s brother is committed to mental facility until he turns 18, next week.
Thanks. I saw that the header for Step One was in the article, but somehow just the header got left out of the excerpt.
Good point
Bring discipline back into the classrooms....for starters.
I graduated high school in 1972. I’m 64 now.
Back then nobody sassed the teachers....why? There were consequences for your actions which were swift, immediate and instilled a rather quick form of respect.
My father was a career school principle and mom was a special ed teacher for 33 years. Dad retired a few years early (1981) after a rather heated board of education meeting one evening. His main issue with the system was that discipline was being removed from the classroom, for starters. He saw the agenda laid out and knew what that light at the end of the tunnel was all about.
I did not fully understand then, however now it is crystal clear - our enemies have taken control of the young minds. Dad was right.
Most of the administrators and a high percentage of teachers were men. These men were mostly WWII & Korea veterans who knew how to give orders, take orders and organize. There was no touchy-feely approach to severe problems.
The bulk of “issues” among students were solved after a few thrown punches and that was it. There were no knives, guns etc. Having the police stationed within the schools was inconceivable.
Shootings? Hell no...no one would have ever considered bringing a gun to school.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.