Posted: Monday, December 31, 2012 12:15 am | Updated: 5:16 pm, Mon Dec 9, 2013. I am responding to articles written on safety in schools a...
I am responding to articles written on safety in schools and the gun law debate.
I’d like to tell you just a little bit about me. I’m retired from the military, where I spent 20 years. I’ve worked security, I have a permit to carry and I have many guns. I have a long history of shooting guns, starting back around the age of 8.
I feel it doesn’t matter what we do with our gun laws. There will still be evil people getting guns and doing ugly things with them. We continue to argue about gun laws, etc., and protection in our schools, but we’re on the wrong track. Guns will still get into bad people's hands. Let's also consider that we’re only talking about the guns being bought, sold and stolen in the U.S. Guns coming in through Mexico, along with drugs, will still be here. And taking the guns out of the hands of U.S. citizens will create a bigger demand for black-market guns being brought to the U.S. through our borders. Are we ready to deal with that?
Having police or armed guards in our schools will not work. They will not stop someone who is armed in the way some of these evil people are. One or two armed guards cannot stop someone who has planned an attack, especially if the attacker has any training. There would have to be at least five or six guards at each school, and I don’t see this happening.
At this point in schools, they have door bells, buzzers, cameras, etc., but it’s basically a joke. Students and teachers are trained to lock the doors in the classrooms and hide. This will not work, either. We put our children in a position where they’re stuck in a place where they aren’t safe and bunch them up, making it easier for attackers to attack children in numbers.
Bulletproof doors with bulletproof glass are the way to go. We also need the first-floor glass windows to be bulletproof. If an attack happens and a would-be killer does get into a school, the children will be safe in their classrooms. This will allow more time for the police to arrive and do their job. Some people might think the cost is too high, but how much is a child’s life worth? I understand nothing is foolproof, but what I'm saying could save many lives in the future.
James A. Daggers
USN retired
Warrington Township
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