Our most precious commodity deserves the best protection.
There cannot be a scarier thought for a parent than to know that your child’s life is in danger. I can’t even imagine the horror that parents must have felt as they rushed to Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, or Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, after hearing that there was a shooting. And I certainly can’t comprehend the intense level of pain that those parents whose children were killed by madmen must still be experiencing and will feel for the rest of their lives.
Sometimes I think about what I would do to try to make schools safer if I were in charge. Metal detectors at all entrances? Armed guards? I’m not sure, but I know that I’d want at least one armed authority in the school at all times. And if I had a school-aged child, I’d want him or her to have a bulletproof backpack that could be used as a shield if the unspeakable were to occur.
Of course, gun control advocates will use horrific instances such as school shootings to ratchet up their campaigns to remove guns from law-abiding citizens. Their ignorance is mind numbing. If you had a child in a school where a madman entered with a gun – and madmen will always be able to get a gun no matter what kind of legislation is passed – would you want the principal to use a gun to take the madman out of play and save your child’s life, or would you rather have an unarmed principal get shot before the bullets start flying toward your kid?
There is one and only one thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun and that’s a good guy with a gun. How is a concept as simple and as logical as this one so difficult for some people to understand? What is it that makes them think that their fantasy world will come to pass if only they pass laws against gun ownership? If you’re interested in diving deeper into this topic, you can read this, “Will Your Kids Need Bullet Proof Backpacks and Body Armor for School?” The author points out that, as usual, the gun control advocates fail to address the real problem.
If you had a child in school, would you make sure he or she had a bulletproof backpack? What about body armor? Would you want the school principal to have a gun in case someone were to enter the school with a weapon, or do you think that would only open up a whole new set of problems? I know this is a controversial subject with a lot of widely varying opinions being circulated.
Seems like everyone has a fairly good idea/ suggestion. Some of you have really thought the whole deal through. Im going to keep my ideas and comments brief…i hope. A bullet proof “cover” has been developed. Even the little guyd cann get to the floor quickly and cover thems.
There are private and church schools in our nation that do have armed teachers and of course they are well trained and competant. They hve continued training.
Those same types of schools also train the childfen to duck and cover and more. These exercises are practiced often until it becomes second nature.
There are public schools in Cleveland, Tenn. Who allow prayer in school. Public schools…board of schools say ok. Their are some bold Christians on their schopl boards. They elect the right people. Those parents who do not want their children exposed to prayer are encouraged to find alternative schools for their poor children . Private schools or home school for the parents who are afraid of prayers, knowledge of God, Jesus and the holy spirit. We are not the minorite!!! Even by choosing the school board carefully we can change the outcome. Having multiple protective stratigies in place is a GOOD thing. There
We already have a major workforce who are experts… almpst all oue vets teturning from overseas are being dumped out of the military. Honestly. And they all dont have ptsd! Even some who do have ptsd are not a danger.
The app to lock down a school in 3 seconds sounds great but hpw many adults have access to trigger the app? And dont forget about adding cameras out side and inside in strategic areas. With someone actually watching the screens. Panic buttons in adults pockets just in case.
The entire “who can buy gun deal is moot”. Anyone who wants a gun especially the bad guys will get a gun, legal or not..
If you are a parent,grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin or a sitter be involved. Even the little kids will tell you wht is going on at school if you will actively listen, be attentive and ask little questions. Love the children, volunteer make a connection. You can be an in class helper from 18 yrs on up. You can help in the hallways, lunchrooms, playground before, after and during school. Im not forgetting about the school busses and the bustops. You dont have to join up all by yoir lonesome get a buddy or 2 or 3 to go along as well and at the end of the day talk about how much fun you had or how important you gelt when you showed a kid how to add a couple numbers.. you can save lives without even knowing it. Hey my origional intention was to be brief and i kinda did that. I could keep going you know. ;)
Wow. The beginning statement of our 2nd Amendment gets it right: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary…the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” We have a right to develop in each state a militia of concerned and responsible armed and unarmed citizens to police and secure our children’s schools, their playgrounds, our neighborhoods and streets. I am not talking about far-out right-wing and left-wing nuts, armed or not. I am talking about you and I and people from our neighborhoods. People we should know and who we trust – but probably don’t anymore – but should probably should get to know again. I am also not suggesting we do this without the involvement of our men in uniform – our local police departments and state military guard. They can offer vital training even to the point of on-site military style coordination and execution. Our local police departments in many neighborhoods are out-numbered and out manned. Our fore-fathers were willing to give their lives for their extended families and neighbors rights. We owe them now to do the same.
Len S., Your county sheriff is supposed to coordinate local militia, there is also an age restriction. Contact them for information. Do not organize on your own outside of law enforcement because you wish to avoid trouble.
If you want to control a group of people that you don’t know or care to know, then get control over their children. If a person sets himself up with life and death situation over a group of children; then everyone will stop what they are doing, listen and listen hard at what that person threatening violence on their children has to say. Unfortunately, any location where children gather can be a place of potential danger. The location can be a school, college, a daycare, even a playground, park or a concert. Where ever children gather someone can get it into their heads to make their statement, either verbally or violently.
So the big question is what can be done about it. The past has shown us that most of the offenders that took lives at these locations were able to obtain a weapon on their own. Most of them followed the law to the letter; yet, these people killed or try to kill children as a statement directed at society, displaying how demented and tortured their minds are at slights or injustices, imaged or real.
So, having a tighter control over the purchase of weapons is the answer, or so you would think. Having tighter control over purchasing a weapon has proven to be false assumption. Why, because weapons, guns, can be had anywhere at anytime. A child can go into his fathers room and take a gun that is hidden for home security. Or perhaps that child steals a gun from a relative or neighbor. He can even get it from another person off the street or from school. Tighter control over the weapons, gun, is not the answer. So what is? Accountability.
That’s right, accountability is the correct answer. If children are held accountable, then they must be taught about guns. They must know how to handle them, how to shoot them, and the life and death accountability if a gun is misused. Why teach a child? Because, in order to teach a child, you must also teach the parent. By teaching the parent, they will enforce this knowledge onto their children. The parents with a weapon will take better care of their weapon in their own home. These parents will make sure there is a lock on that gun. That this weapon is properly stored and placed in safe keeping. Should their child decide to use a weapon against another person that the parent will also be held accountable for the use of that weapon.
Furthermore, instead of making it hard to purchase a weapon, perhaps we should have a law stating that in order to purchase a weapon, a person must first undergo a weapons class at an authorized NRA range, gun club, or gun range. A card be given upon completing the course and that everyone must renew their eligibility to own a gun every 5 years. Now this will not stop a crazed nut from going through the course; but, will help keep the demented from obtaining a weapon quickly.
Accountability, it is really the only weapon in our arsenal that we can count on. If everyone is held accountable then there shouldn’t be a problem. If a parent knows that their child may be a potential problem or danger; then they should several options available to them. For example, the parents can turn in their weapons if they fear that their weapons may be used illegally. Or the parents should have the ability to inform the authorities that this child should not be permitted to purchase a weapon, stating their reason and provide documentation. When this child becomes of age and wishes to purchase a weapon; then he must go through the regular process, go to an authorized training course, state why he wants to purchase a weapon and verify that he can handle the responsibility of owning a weapon and that he will be held ACCOUNTABLE!
My father trained his children how to use a weapon at the age of 5 years old. When I entered the Armed Forces I was already an Expert at shooting and handling a weapon. I know the grave responsibility and accountability it takes when shooting a weapon. Of my father’s nine children not one of us has ever failed the rules of properly handling a weapon, not to mention that we can shoot the eye of a fly at 600 yards. Now that is accountability.
I’m a DOJ certified firearms instructor. some kids are not responsible enogh to even touch a gun. i’m devorced and my ex did alousy job of raising our kids. i tearfully do not trust my 18 year old with a gun. to purchase a gun in california ,you have to take a course on gun safety and ge ta permit to buy a handgun. it should not be 5 years for a re-cert. thats infringing on our rights. sounds to me like your humpty dumty sitting on the edge of gum control and anti gun wall.
I would first remove all “gun free zone” signs down to illeminate the gunmans feeling of safety. I don’t feel it needs to be only teachers or principals it could be an undercover security acting as a custodian or other service personnel that could move about throughout the school inconsicuously. Posting signs only protect the criminal. You don’t even need to have security or advertise what you are doing keep them in suspense as they don’t like to take chances of someone killing them before that succceed their plan, as they know that police take a minimum of 3 minutes to arrive then setup. Armed personnel on site could stop it in seconds. Don’t advertise if you have security or not and if you do, don’t advertise how many.
The real problem with the violence today is that children and adults are fed a steady diet of gun violence on the TV, in the comic books they read, and the news media with their demonizing leaders of other countries and a war ensues, the racial divide in this country, and even the combat toys that children are given, all encourage the practice of violence. Also, the legal and illegal drugs that children and adults are given or participate in derange them and set them up for violence. America is promoting and encouraging an extremely violent culture that needs to be stopped if children are to be safe anywhere, not just in schools! But since there are the deranged people with weapons, a janitor or two with weapons would probably be the least conspicuous persons to patrol the schools.
the real problem is gun free zones.
I agree with your statement. Remove ALL safe zones, and having unannounced, and unknown number of security persons around should deffinetly decrease the problem.
I wish the first thing that we should do ia remove the “gun free zone ” signs down. As far as arming school personel I don’t feel it needs to be a teacher it could be someone working as a cusodian as h e would be less conspicuous moving about the school on an irregular
Actually I have a friend who was s Principal of a high school in CA. He always kept a gun in his locked desk drawer. One afternoon he heard the school secretary tell someone they couldn’t go in his office. They (3 young Latino men) came in anyway – 3 drug gang members bran.dishing knives and threatening his life. How surprised they were to be looking into the end of his gun! He called the local police and had them arrested…no blood shed or violence, just quick thinking backed up by a protective gun owner!
Having worked as a high school teacher having to deal with drugs on campus and occasional violence at football games in predominantly Latino schools, someone needs to have a clear head and a steady hand and not be afraid to confront an attacker. But who ever “carries” needs to be knowledgeable about guns for the protection of all.
It is a very different world we live in and I totally agree about the violence that impacts young kid’s lives from TV to movies to handheld games. Unless a parent monitors their kid’s intake of violence the child will go on overload and soon believe that game violence is a reality…thus we have kids, young adults, etc play acting a fantasy but using real people as targets. You want violence out of schools and our lives, remove violence from children’s homes…let the “healing” begin!
Just something to think about but gun violence statistics do show that those areas with the most strict gun laws have the HIGHEST gun crimes compared to those places where there are large number of legal armed concealed and carry areas. That’s something the left, dems , or the media seem to conveniently leave out.
Amen James. these mass shootings are almost always in gun free zones and I have heard statistics many times that the most violence is in the areas with the tightest gun control laws. When will people wake up and put a stop to these idiots who want to take the guns away from law abiding citizens! If my child or grandchild was in a situation where they were threatened by one of these madmen I would be grateful to no end if there was someone there who was carrying that could stop them before they could kill or wound my child or grandchild. I know how difficult it would be for me to shoot someone so I think any one who does that to save another is a hero to me. PS THANKS TO THE POLICE AND THE SOLDIERS WHO PUT THEMSELVES IN HARMS WAY TO PROTECT US AND OUR FREEDOMS.
Chicago. Need I say more?
In my opinion until schools and parents toughen up on kids and bring them back down to kids and not young adults nothing will change in schools and with young kids
Kids act out being tough adults and all kids are growing up being mean minded, some for protection, to protect them selves and the rest just because they are mean minded and can because adults let them get away with it and make excuses for them and wonder what happened. As the generation of kids that grow up from the 50’s to say the 70’s and pass away and what it means to be kind and have fun just as a kid is going to be gone. The system is so big and complex i am afraid it is just going to get worse for children growing up in the future and harder to be a good ADULT.
don’t you dare discipline my children, they are angles and can do no wrong. of corse i will not discipline them. that would be too much work, and would not be politically correct.
What angle are they? 45%? 90%? It is hard work to discipline a child, u have to catch them first, then the law will not let u whip them, so u have to figure out a way to punish them.
LOL…… on the angle.
I needed a laugh.
As stated in an earlier comment, only a good guy with a gun can effectively stop a bad guy with a gun. We also need to keep in mind that when seconds count, the police are only minutes away.
Teachers and administrators who volunteer to work armed should receive the same firearms training as police officers. They should carry concealed while in school so that no one outside the armed group knows who is armed or not armed. Each of these armed personnel should be required to requalify annually. Training would include firearms proficiency, shoot-don’t shoot training, and legal issues concerning the use of deadly force.
I don’t think the anti-gun fanatics are ignorant or just can’t “get it”….I think they are just psychopathic and will adopt any ideology with the most dollar bills behind it……
Along with that kevlar backpack be sure your kid has:
• Two emergency ponchos
• Two space blankets
• Paracord
• Water bottle (two is better, filter bottles are great)
• Water purifying straw
• Canteen cup or Sierra cup
• Fire steel
• Tinder (wet fire is awesome, Esbit fuel or dryer lint works)
• Esbit Stove with fuel
• Can opener (P38)
• Eating utensil (I like the CRKT Eat’n Tool)
• “Credit Card survival tool”
• Wire saw
• Small first aid kit
• 4-6000 calories in compact foods
• Camp Scissors or EMT shears (optional)
With this assortment, and a little bit of training, your kids can have what they need to see them through almost any crisis until you can get to them or they can get to you.
Everything but the food fits nicely in a gallon size Ziploc bag, and will ride nicely at the bottom of a book bag.
Nothing on the list should cause any conflict with school rules (with the possible exception of the scissors).
I know that most professional educators care deeply about kids’ safety. While I don’t doubt that they would do their best in a crisis, I do doubt their state of preparedness. I want my children to have what they need when the chips are down, without having to rely on others.
Frank D., that sounds like just enough stuff to get a kid suspended.
Logic has nothing to do with Gun Control because guns have nothing to do with Gun Control. It’s not control of guns the Marxists seek, it is people control…they can’t say that of course because most folks don’t want to be “controlled” by Big Brother (government) so the wrap their agenda in a cloak of lies “protecting the children, stopping crime, ad nauseam.” Every dictator has removing guns from private ownership as one of their first agenda items. Of course in the U.S. they will say they only want to outlaw “assault rifles and automatic-handguns.” There is no such thing as an assault rifle…any gun can be used in an assault, but rifles that look “Black” are singled out as bad. I have a Black .22 that looks exactly like an M-16 that doesn’t make it an assault rifle! As for automatic handguns (they mean simi-automatic handguns because full automatic handguns are not sold to the general public. They are EXTREMELY expensive and available only to very select police agencies, plus they are basically uncontrollable – you’d be better off with a shotgun. If the government ever is allowed to outlaw the aforementioned firearms, they’ll ban other “dangerous” guns…until as last they have removed the ability of citizens to resist the dictatorship they seek to instill. The current Marxist regime in Washington D.C. has violated the Constitution and our Bill of Rights so often that they should have been tried for TREASON long ago – the sad thing is that so many Americans don’t seem to know or care and won’t until they wake up with a dictator telling them where to go and what to do…like lambs to the slaughter!
There are armed Guards at banks to protect your, and the Nation’s currency, and I of course agree with this. But there are no armed Guards at schools to protect our most valuable assets. Money is insignificant when compared to the value to our Country and our love of America’s precious children. I refer you all to what I call the “Texas Bank Robbery Syndrome.” No one robs banks (in general) in Texas, because there is a high probability that there are other law-abiding citizens who have Concealed Carry Permits and the weapons that go with them inside the same buildings. Same thing in Arizona. I carry at least one handgun everywhere it is legal, and have had to fire more than once to get the Attacker’s attention. It worked, and I dearly hope they learned a lesson. I am not fond of cowards, but will protect them anyway. It is not their fault; they just have not been raised and trained properly, or understand their right to self-defense. What is confusing is that with all of these incidents around the Country, where are the millions (3.5mm in FL alone) of Permits Holders when these events occur? I, for one, want to be there, despite any danger to me. Period. So there you go, sissies need not apply. Only Patriots.
Guns don’t kill people People kill people Tyrants kill people Bullies kill people M people get killed from Protection Whether it would be a gun A car a knife A pillowcase all I ask is a mofo don’t bback
me into a corner because let me tell you one thing you let him have your guns and your kids and grandkids will be all in solitary blocks
Agree with all of your suggestions. The more good guys with guns, the less crime by bad guys with guns. Common sense, plain and simple.
Its insane to ask children to have a bullet proof backpack
Is almost imposoble to expect them to use it as a shield
To an adult is hard to a child worst.
Locking the dors in a second its ok but imagine your kid in the
Same room as the attaker will be in much more danger not being able to Escape
The bad guy and the “HELP” to come to the rescue.
A guard for every classroom even being cought off guRd could be
Bad. A pricnipal Rmed will be a good deterrent just to be there.
But having to shoot at one of his students will be a very hard
To take action. Im a competition shooter and hunter but AIMING to
A kid and shooting at him will be very hard for me to decide to pull
The trigger. Im a consiled gun person and since I took the course and
What I learned of just showing the GUN consecuences will scare me, and just
Imagin hurting another inocent kid , ruining my life and the file Suits from
Other parents is out of mind.
The least and better will be known that some one at school is armed and will shoot
If needed will be good deterrent so the attaker will not find sitting DUCKS as
a TARGET. God Bless America !!!
Our Superintendent of Public Schools in Rainier, WA (Tim Garchow) helped create an application that will lock down a school in 3 seconds. You can find out more information about it here on: http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Rainier-school-first-to-test-new-app-that-locks-down-school-in-3-seconds-220752511.html
Our students don’t need to wear bullet proof backpacks or body armor.
Let’s remember that what stopped Jared Laughner in Tucson in January 2011 was a good guy with a gun WHO DIDN’T USE IT. This good guy took on Laughner bare-handed and, together with other heroes so-encouraged, took him to the ground and disarmed him. Then in August of 2013 we have the news story of a school secretary talking a heavily armed young man out of committing homicide and into surrender. You can not stop a bad guy pointing a gun at people by just pointing a gun at him; you’d have to shoot him. I doubt if many school principals or teachers are mentally prepared and constantly trained to shoot without hesitation, yet that is what is required – – and they would need to do so without harming any of the innocents there.
Taking guns away from good guys like me is not going to solve the problem. Ultimately, we need a program to identify, and get/force into treatment those mentally ill persons headed down this destructive path. Meanwhile we will have domestic terrorists among us. These guys are like individual al-Qaida guys, except that ours seem to be more anti-social and less religious. The Boston Marathon bombers fit in here somewhere, too.
Thank you for an honest and well expressed position. I don’t want to take hand guns out of the hands of responsible citizens, I just was better checks before turning over any weapon to someone’s hand.
True, there is no simple solution, but we can do better as a Nation. I am a hunter, and I don’t need a 45 round clip for my rifle. I am a marksman, and if
I can’t bring down a buck with a first clean shot, then I need to stop hunting.
E PLURIBUS UNUM!
What a completely stupid scenario! Sitting in a tree stand shooting at a near still animal really equates to the stress of facing an armed individual or individuals. Trained police mis their targets 70% of the time so how’s a ten round magazine going to bode well for an average citizen facing 2 or 3 armed or unarmed dangerous thugs. Furthermore who gets to decide what (I need or don’t need) YOU? I certainly won’t be told what I do or do not need from a politician surrounded by armed guards or a nit wit who thinks his ability to shoot a dear in the woods should translate to how much ammo I should be allowed to carry. The same politicians like Feinstein who carry’s a pistol or Bloomburg who has a swat team protecting him that want to completely disarm us “Mr and Mrs America if I could get them all I would” and now we have a so called hunter telling us what’s “reasonable”! You sir, are part of the problem.
Well put! Taking guns away from the general populace will only leave guns in the hands of the lawless. we need programs to identify and segregate the mentally unbalanced. Additionally, when you teach gun safety, you also teach gun responsibility. I have been through military and civilian gun handling and safety classes and education is the solution, not gun control.