Stopping School Shootings

Some want to blame insufficient gun control or our 2nd Amendment (and those who defend it) for school shootings, but we have had the 2nd Amendment since our founding. In fact, we are the United States of America because the citizenry was armed.
There is plenty of finger-pointing, scapegoating, and blame in an attempt to explain why our society has become more violent. Something culturally has changed since the 1950s and there is no going back. We must deal with our current reality and acknowledge what we are doing is clearly not working.
To combat the rising problem with school (and other mass) shootings, well-intentioned people created "Gun Free Zones". How's that working out? Not so well. Instead of making schools safer, we are ringing the "All Clear" bell for would-be attackers. If nature teaches us anything, it's that predators like easy prey.
Truth be told, you are not safer in a "Gun Free Zone". You are more vulnerable -- a sitting duck.
It is no longer uncommon to see armed guards at airports, banks, federal buildings, even places of employment. In fact, we protect our computers more securely than our children. Are the lives of school children less deserving of armed protection? It's time we hardened our schools by creating a human firewall.

My Proposal: Militia Protected School Zones

Schools should have the option of having a volunteer militia, made up of AF&S. Notice the words "option" and "volunteer".
Volunteers would be
- vetted. Those deemed acceptable would be trained by law enforcement and NRA instructors (often the same people) on the safe and effective use of weapons at school
- taught defensive strategies in the event of an attack.
Firearms would be
- carried by the volunteers where that is legal
- or kept in readily available lock boxes.
- The local school board or principals with input from law enforcement and parents would decide which.
Put a sign or two outside the school that reads: "Militia Protected School Zone" and put a scary looking rifle on it. If you were going to enter a school and start shooting, where would you rather go: a school with that sign outside or one that reads: "Gun Free Zone"?
If I served in such a militia, my attitude would be: "A shooter will get to these children over my dead body." Most likely, there are AF&S at your local school that feel the same way and are just waiting for the opportunity to serve as a first line of defense. I know this to be true because I have read and heard comments from educators saying so.
We've tried gun free and heavily gun-restricted zones in our schools (and in many of our major cities). They have been a disaster. The time has come to try a new approach.

Why I Believe Having a Well-Regulated Militia in Schools Makes Sense

Shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, December 14, 2012

In short, a man whose initials are AL blasted his way into the locked school where he shot and killed 20 children and six adults. Principal Dawn Hochsprung, who entered the hallway where AL was shooting, armed only with vain determination to save the children, was among the dead.
Any school shooting is appalling, but what made this event especially horrific is that the targets were elementary school students, six and seven years old. Who would have thought that even the craziest among us would go into a school and gun down young children? And yet, that is exactly what happened. What they went through is unthinkable.
What stopped the attack? Police officers (translation: people with guns who intended to use them) simply showed up. AL knew it was "game over" and shot himself. The police never fired a shot. It is my opinion, that had there been armed AF&S, AL would not have attempted such a bloodbath -- but even if he did, he would not have gotten far.
Three Observations:
1. Another terrifying aspect of this particular shooting is, unlike other shootings where the attacker left warning signs, there was no way to anticipate this attack, and no motive was ever uncovered. Before the school shooting, AL murdered his mother, eliminating the best source for possibly determining a motive. The students, school, family, law-enforcement and community were completely blind-sided.
2. From the time 911 was called until police entered the school was 10 minutes. So, for more than 10 minutes, AL was free to shoot whomever he wished with no one to stop him.
3. Like it or not, the slogan is true:
  Call 911. Help will arrive in minutes when you need help in seconds.

In Conclusion

Common sense gun control laws have their place but keep in mind, there are already very strict laws against murder -- and yet murders have occurred for as long as we have roamed the earth.
Pass any law you like -- but the sad reality is, an ambush can occur any time, anywhere. Like many other public venues already have, schools should adopt a defensive posture. I have not heard anyone suggest that armed security at airports, banks, etc. be disallowed because school-aged children and teens regularly pass through them.
It's one thing for students to "feel" safe. It's quite another that they "be" safe. Well, safer -- and hopefully, much safer.
We have tried "Gun Free Zones". They are not working.
I am not suggesting we immediately implement Militia Protected School Zones on a national level. I am suggesting we try this idea in several schools and closely monitor how that goes.
Do we love our children enough to fight for them -- to stand between them and a would-be assassin?
Well, do we?