Deja vu. School schootings and hand wringings and prayers. Anger and blame on anything having to do with guns.
But guns are out there. The horse has left the barn. Anger and hostility of people and mental disease is out there. That this country is historically a violent country cannot be changed.
The gun population is greater than the human population in this country -400 M estimated with 393 M in civilian hands. And that is probably an underestimation. Blaming the NRA , the politicians or comparing guns to cigarettes will do nothing to change that. “What ifs” do not accomplish anything.
Some of the shootings are foretold on social media . Those red flags should be monitored by the owners of the social media and reported to authorities. Law enforcement should investigate and mark the people who threaten as ineligible to purchase weapons. That will not help much since guns can be purchased illegally or by parents who give them to the children as a right of passage. ( As an aside, one might consider such parents as enablers and prosecute them should their child use the weapon for killing).
What will help in schools, at least, is to have armed guardians in every school specially trained in school protection. There are many applicants for law enforcement and there are many divisions of law enforcement ranging from FBI, to Swat to border to vice. A special division in school protection can be created nationally. At least a pair of officers with automatic weapons with armor piercing rounds ( since shooters wear armor) - stationed at every school in the US. Both public and private. The above complimented by prison like fencing with only one entry into the compound. Those who do not want little Johnny exposed to a prison like environment have to come up with better ideas. Little Johnny may actually feel less anxiety if he feels protected.
As far as I can tell no politicians rise above hand wringing and prayers while blaming one another - without any solutions at all.
The above applies to protecting our children in schools . What happens in churches, grocery stores, colleges, office buildings and public squares is more difficult to address in a country founded on violence with a second amendment protecting that violence .
And to the very liberal Democrats - my message to you is not to be weak on crime You will not win anything with such a stance.
Gerard Freisinger
Warwick