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Right. I saw that. It doesn't mean another armed guard, whether it be an off duty police officer or ex military person wouldn't deal w/ the threat successfully.
Well I clicked on "Yes, by addressing issues other than guns (I have ideas I will post)" even though my ideas include additional gun control measures.
1. Enhance background checks to include mental health. HIPAA be damned. The clerk at the gun store doesn't have to know your mental health, but the police and FBI do. I am a right winger, and this idea may rub certain other right wingers the wrong way but I believe it would help. Nobody wants insane people to have guns.
2. Make it easier for concerned family members to get a person committed and/or treated for mental illness. If the person "doesn't want treatment" that's not good enough. Not anymore. And this goes not just for guns but for general quality of life.
3. Allow teachers and other school staff to be armed while on school property. We saw that an armed sheriff's deputy did nothing to help in Parkland, FL. We cannot rely on the police to bail us out of trouble.
Well, how about that anyone who commits a crime using a gun is then barred from owning a gun in the future?
I'd guess the vast majority of gun crimes are felonies, which does in fact bar someone from owning a firearm in the future. The irony is that prosecutors regularly drop or plead away gun related charges/add-on sentences. Another interesting thing is that the federal government almost never investigates or charges people who lie on background check forms when trying to buy a firearm. That means they know someone who isn't allowed to buy a gun is actively trying to buy one, but they don't consider it a big enough deal to even look into.
Limited or 1 entrance could help. However, IIRC, the Sandy Hook shooter managed to break through a window to gain access to the building.
could those limited access points let everyone out in a reasonable time?
Following Sandy Hook, someone suggested putting a police officer in each of Massachusetts's schools, but someone from the PD said that would eat up 1/4 of the state's PD.
Limiting and locking entrances could work. (Limiting or locking an entrance does not have to affect its use as an exit.) Hiring more school police could work. Metal detectors could work. Fencing could work. All paid for by taxpayers. I don't like paying taxes any more than anyone else but this is important. Let's get the security experts and let them figure out all the ifs, ands, and buts. Since basically nothing has been done in almost 20 years since Columbine. One hundred excuses and not one valid reason.
First, eliminate "gun free zones". Make it known that there just might be trained, armed personnel on site. Do not state that there are, and do not state how many, and do not state which ones are armed. Let that be a surprise.
Second, improve the mental health reporting to NCIC. There is simply no excuse for such reports from mental health professionals getting lost in the system. The background check will not work if there is no background to see!
Third, improve mental health treatment. It is already a crime to make threats on the internet. When people make death threats against schools, their neighbors, or the President, find them, arrest them, give them a mental evaluation, and if they are determined to be a real danger, get them the treatment they so obviously need! Do NOT turn them loose on society!
First, eliminate "gun free zones". Make it known that there just might be trained, armed personnel on site. Do not state that there are, and do not state how many, and do not state which ones are armed. Let that be a surprise.
Second, improve the mental health reporting to NCIC. There is simply no excuse for such reports from mental health professionals getting lost in the system. The background check will not work if there is no background to see!
Third, improve mental health treatment. It is already a crime to make threats on the internet. When people make death threats against schools, their neighbors, or the President, find them, arrest them, give them a mental evaluation, and if they are determined to be a real danger, get them the treatment they so obviously need! Do NOT turn them loose on society!
I'm not sure if this would help. Many of these killers don't care if they die in the middle of their massacre. And the majority of teachers (from what I've read, sorry I don't have a link) don't want to carry guns.
I still think it's an option for the experts to consider, to weigh the pros and cons and its likelihood to be a deterrent. I just was pointing out why I'm not sure about that idea.
It can be reduced. Countries with less government, resources, and technology have done it.
I posted yesterday about action one school took to reduce mass shootings in their school. Of course, people posted why it won't work when it has worked according to the Sheriff's Association.
Cameras with a direct feed to the county sheriff office. Teachers who wear panic buttons. Smoke cannons in hallways.
These pieces of equipment are a big reason Southwestern High School in Shelbyville, Ind., has been referred to as "the safest school in America" since the airing of a segment on NBC's Today in 2015 (the network recently revisited the school). Shelbyville is about 27 miles southeast of Indianapolis.
I also believe we need to look at mental health, social accountability, and gun control. Why? Health mental is a major issue but sometimes it doesn't help when people don't seek treatment. For example, the Vegas mass shooter never sought help. There is no way to track the person if individuals don't seek help.
In many cases, they don't because of the stigma. Most people with mental health issues are not murders. That is where the social accountability comes in. Report, report, report. It should be the same policy as when a teacher or daycare provider suspects abuse of a child. They have an obligation to report it. We should have an obligation to report suspicious and violent people it the same way.
Also, we know that people use other forms of violence to carry out their brutally. They use trucks, knives, swords etc.if they don't have access to guns. Gun control laws need to be changed and re-evaluated. We reevaluate policies when there are threats in the airports.
I was reading an article on "Why school shootings are rare in Israel when guns are common"? They have no metal detector and teachers aren't armed. They keep records of every gun owner that have permits to carry. Half are private citizens and the other half work for security firms.
I think we should consult with other countries where they had a problem in the past. It was resolved and countries where there is gun ownership and mental health issues comparable to the US yet they don't have a mass killing problem.
People resist recommendations with evidence it works for different places should offer better, proven suggestions.
We have to do something and I think it is obvious we need to address everything coming into play with a mass shooting.
Report, report, report. Nobody wants to get anybody in trouble...everyone is given the benefit of the doubt. "MYOB" And so what if they are reported? Unless they are deemed a threat to themselves or others, pretty much nothing can be done. I'm not saying people should be taken into custody with little or no basis - but that is the issue - we have a very high standard before action can be taken, regardless of knowledge. If we want to change that ratio then it will take some major action to do so.
Perhaps some intermediate measures - they won't go straight to detention but will need to be interviewed by both law enforcement AND mental health professionals who will then make a recommendation to a judge for them to be taken into custody for a short period for further evaluation...or a period of close surveillance - those details would have to be worked out otherwise it turns into "Minority Report".
every place I have worked with key cards has been ineffective when groups come in or out at shift change. One Guy opens it and everyone else in the que barges in. Maybe it needs to be like a subway.
every place I have worked with key cards has been ineffective when groups come in or out at shift change. One Guy opens it and everyone else in the que barges in. Maybe it needs to be like a subway.
That could work. And at a secure school adults would stand at the entrance to monitor the traffic. Especially if there's a metal detector right inside the entrance.
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