Schools are safe, the NRA is not
Yael T. AbouhalkahThe NRA’s press conference Friday went as expected: Some gun-loving American showed up to demand that we flood U.S. schools with more guns.
That’s what NRA chief executive Wayne LaPierre did, and thank God he did.
For LaPierre showed just how out of touch with reality America’s staunchest gun nuts are today.
His takeaway line now being reported across America: We need to put armed guards in every school in America at a cost of billions of dollars a year.
No, we don’t.
The fact is that America’s schools are about the safest place for kids to be - ever. Take a hard look at the facts.
The schools are safer than the millions of homes with loaded guns sitting inside them.
The schools are safer than the streets of too many American cities, where people - criminals and non-criminals - walk around carrying heat.
The NRA is a rich, influential organization.
If it wanted, the NRA could make a serious contribution to the gun control argument now raging in this country.
Instead, the NRA does something absolutely inane like calling for armed guards in every school in the country.
Mark Robertson
4 months, 3 weeks agoThat’s because the NRA deals in logic and facts and thus, reality. One thing this tragedy has brought out is the futile way libs deal with problems and challenges.(See failed War on Poverty, government health care, government schools) Thank you. Mark Robertson Independence
Greg McFarland
4 months, 3 weeks agoI am glad to finally see at least a link to a statistic but alas, it only says school homicides are declining, not how safe they are versus homes with guns. Anyway, what you are really saying is that we really don’t need to do anything more since schools are so safe, our money should be spent else where, on things that actually will reduce murders.
George Hunsucker
Northland
4 months, 3 weeks agodrum, drum, drum, we want your guns…..
Phil Cardarella
4 months, 3 weeks agoIt is the sort of hypocrisy and illogic that should make your teeth ache.
Postulating the existence of several hundred thousand reliable, sane and competently trained potential guards out there (as opposed to those many who will be more of a danger than a help) just who is going to pay the $40-50K per school tab — at least $40 MILLION per thousand schools?Will funding that be on the NRA grade card?
And, that is before we retrofit our schools into medium-security prisons, so that one “guard tower” entrance will suffice.
Oh, and one security officer will hardly suffice. After all, if there had been such a guard at Sandy Hook, if he was on a bathroom break (Yes, retired policemen are human, folks!) at 80 rounds per minute, everybody would have been dead by the time he zipped up.
Assuming he was not the first victim, since he would have been substantially outgunned. So, we will need a platoon for each school.
Of course, the President has the Secret Service to protect him, right? Of course, the last time a crazy took a shot at a President, Reagan got a bullet in the lung, so the plan is not exactly fool-proof — even with a dozen or more guys protecting one target.
Oh, and don’t forget that we will need the same security for each movie theater — or are we going to rely on an armed audience to “win” that gunfight? Action movies in 3-D Plus?
Oh, yes, and it is the fault of digital and visual guns in TV, movies and games, not the real ones actually used to commit mass murder. As if these children had been killed in a game, not in real life — and we could just press Reset instead of holding funerals with tiny caskets.
And we should have a better list to check for those with mental probems (a list opposed by the NRA and which would have included NOT ONE of the mass killers) — but not to be used at gun shows where 40+% of guns are sold.
And it is the Justice Department’s fault for not prosecuting enough people who are NOT committing violent crimes with guns (guys who are technically felons, but not doing anything criminal besides possessing a gun). None of our mass-murderers had felony records, folks.
It is everyone’s fault except the NRA leadership and the cowardly legislators who are letting madmen have easy and legal access to weapons of mass destruction — because what possible connection could there be between the dead kids and the gun that fired the bullets that killed them?.
Hey, a gun did not kill those kids, right? A madman — and those who made it possible for him to have an instrument with which to kill so many so quickly — did.
Save the crocodile tears, Wayne. Not all great Neptune’s Ocean can wipe that blood from your hands.
Suzanne Conaway
4 months, 3 weeks agoHey, be nice to Wayne LaPierre. If it wasn’t for defending nutcases with guns, he wouldn’t have a job.
Reginald Thornton
4 months, 3 weeks agoPhil- can I ask you a serious question about your comment? If money wasn’t an issue, if qualifed guards contributed their time or if they could be paid in oxygen, whatever, then would you be in favor of armed guards? Let’s ignore your concern about bathroom breaks for a moment. Just a yes or no, or a quick sentence response- It sounds like you would otherwise favor the idea, and I just want to know. thx
George Hunsucker
Northland
4 months, 3 weeks agophil once more proposes ignoring law breakers….
“And it is the Justice Department’s fault for not prosecuting enough people who are NOT committing violent crimes with guns (guys who are technically felons, but not doing anything criminal besides possessing a gun). None of our mass-murderers had felony records, folks.” Why are libs sooooooooooooooooo against personal responsibility????
Bob Yates
4 months, 3 weeks agoNow the kind of statement of crazy endorsing lunacy: the NRA deals in logic and facts
What kind of “logic and facts” does the NRA deal with?
There were two armed guards at Columbine.
If LaPierre believes we need armed guards in places that are gun free, why no mention of movie theaters?
Why does ANYONE need a magazine that holds 30-100 bullets?
Nancy Lanza is a poster woman for the NRA. Her legally bought guns were used at Sandy Hook. She should have successfully defended herself.
Gary Sappington
4 months, 3 weeks agoIt’s not going to happen. Washington hasn’t yet heard from the millions of gun owners. The gun owners are just waiting to see if any legislation comes out of this. If they don’t like what they see, they will be heard from. Thank goodness for a divided congress. This is a case of “doing nothing is better than doing something”. Oh, sure they may pass some “fell good” legislation but they won’t have the votes to pass anything else.
Suzanne Conaway
4 months, 3 weeks agoThis brings me back to my main question about concealed carry. If someone is coming at me with a gun, how am I supposed to get my concealed gun out before I’m shot.
Same thing with school guards. If the nutcase already has a gun out, pointed and firing away, how is the guard supposed to get his/her gun out of the holster to shoot the perp? Of course, if the school guard happens to be behind the shooter, it would work, but that’s a mighty big “IF”.
These shooters seem to be well-organized. If I was a well-organized shooter, I’d make sure to locate and take out the guard first.
Martin Walsh
4 months, 3 weeks agoIt is interesting. Even the NRA said there are 3 components of violence - guns, mental illness and influence of things like violent videos. Our state legislature has worked on 2 of these. They have increased availability of guns and cut funding for mental health. Is this progress?