Well, I've been watching the comments from both sides concerning the latest school shooting and one thing seems certain. Liberty is in jeopardy no matter who wins the coin toss. I'm seeing people that I thought were solidly on our side now willing to make compromises that are diametrically opposed to liberty. It is demonstrably disturbing to see and hear some of the comments from previously 2A supporters. People willing to dilute our constitutional rights just a little in exchange for the safety of the children. That concept sounds vaguely familiar. One of our Founding Fathers once said something similar. And of course the opposition has no problem calling for more gun control, liberty be damned. It's interesting to note that virtually every mass shooting ever perpetrated in this country was done by a Democrat. Go figure...
Some are saying Congress should be addressing this. Wrong. Congress has been addressing it for 40 years and it has just gotten worse. In fact, congress' meddling is largely to blame for what happened in Parkland, FL yesterday. We'll talk more about that in a few minutes.
Others are saying we should have resource officers in ever school. Wrong. There have been shootings in schools with resource officers before and it didn't help. There was, in fact, an armed resource officer at Parkland High School. They cannot be everywhere at once and they are another unnecessary burden on taxpayers. Still others are insistent that EVERY teacher and staff member be armed and trained. Wrong. Some teachers don't want to carry a gun and should not be made to. They would be a detriment and likely a hazard to everyone around them in a crisis situation. Not the perfect solution but you're getting warm!
One said, let's put a couple of military vets or retired LE in every school. There are many that would walk the halls for free and many of them are already adequately trained. OK! NOW were getting close.
Liberty IS the solution:
The perfect solution is 4-faceted:
1. Immediately repeal the federal Gun-Free School Zone Act with prejudice. This is the most important part of the solution and where the meddling of Congress has once again done more harm than good.
2. Arm and train select staff members in every school. Every teacher does not need to be armed. Some simply do not have the desire or the mindset. It shouldn't be forced upon them. Armed staff members should be psychologically sound and have some small modicum of physical fitness. They should not just be trained to shoot but to respond appropriately to an armed assailant in a crowded environment.
3. In addition to armed staff members, military veterans, retired law enforcement and a select few others should be employed as "roving guards". Armed, trained, dedicated individuals with radios, roaming the halls when classes are in session. They will be there an hour prior to first bell and a half hour after the last bell. How will we pay for that you ask? It's not the feds responsibility to pay to it. Every district will have to figure that out. Many, many vets would work very cheap or free and be damned glad to do it. I am one of them. Some cities or states may pay for it by bringing in a new tax to pay for at least part of it. A great many vets can only make a certain amount of money before it interferes with their retirement or disability anyway. Those vets would be tickled to death to work for $10,000 a year or whatever their max is. $15 an hour only works out to less than $30,000 a year so it wouldn't be hard to find quality, dedicated people to protect our kids for that. Again, I would do it in a heartbeat and I'm sure I'm not alone.
4. Many mass shooters kill themselves or are killed during the commission of their crime. The ones that survive should be punished swiftly, surely, severely and publicly after they are found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt by a jury of their peers.
Friends, that would dramatically reduce or eliminate school shootings in America.
Now, let's change gears a little.
Apparently, the shooter in Florida displayed warning signs numerous times far in advance of the actual shooting. Kids at school knew and the FBI knew literally months before Valentine's Day, 2018. Too many people are afraid of being labeled or hurting someone's feelings. This time, it cost 17 lives.
“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety” -- Ben Franklin
