School Shootings: A National and Local Issue

Do we want to try and keep our children safe or not? U.S. public schools have been attacked for over 90 years. The only surprising and shocking aspect of the latest attack is that, after 90 years, schools are still not secured properly.

This threat is not a Democrat/Republican issue. It is not a liberal/conservative issue. Anyone trying to paint it as such is part of the problem. This is a safety management issue. From the first school attack in Pottsville, MI in 1927 to current day Parkland, our children have been placed in unsecure environments. With each assault, new laws are enacted to try and prevent the next outrage.

At my former house, I had a window that I always considered a weak spot that was susceptible to a break in. I had lived there for years and nothing had ever happened. I went away for an extended trip and, surprise, someone broke in to my house through that vulnerable window. What do you think was the first action I took upon my return? Right. I thoroughly hardened that point against further exploitation. That was my immediate, responsible and natural reaction to that threat.

What are we waiting for? Some argue that the threat is being left open as a means to create outrage to enact tougher laws or confiscate guns. I don’t know. I do know that there were school shootings occurring since I had been in school. Periodically, they would reoccur and we’d all have the same arguments. I never had this new thought until this last time. Perhaps, the lack of action is simply due to the politically charged distractions and not accurately defining the problem. Once you have a properly defined problem, you can work toward a rational solution.

Is it okay to have your child critically injured as long as it isn’t with an AR-15? That seems to be the current discussion we are having. It sounds ridiculous that way, doesn’t it?

As I’ve said to many folks, and they have all agreed; no, I do not want my children shot by an AR-15, shotgun or pistol. Nor do I want them stabbed with a knife, step on a dirty needle, beat into a coma or bullied until they commit suicide. I don’t care how. I do not want them murdered. Certainly while attending school.

As a highly effective, cost conscious first step in actually protecting our children, we simply control access at entrances with a, preferably armed, responsible and accountable adult that greets children and adults as they enter a school. A little situational awareness goes a long way.

Did any of the schools that experienced a shooting have this simple precaution? No. Run this by any local or state officer. They’ll agree. It works.

We need stop playing whack-a-mole with laws and, finally, put this threat to bed.