# There is a Solution to School Shootings and It's Being Ignored

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Following yet another tragedy in American schools allegedly perpetrated by an unstable individual, the anti-gun screamers have re-emerged to take center stage in a national debate on gun laws. This is a shame because once again we aren't addressing the REAL problem - Protecting OUR children.

The solution to school shootings is very simple and we have employed this solution in nearly every situation where a propensity for violence against "soft" targets became a problem. Put 2 armed guards or more in every school and allow teachers and administrators to carry firearms if they choose to do so. 

Will this completely solve the issue of gun violence at schools or against children? **No**, but it will significantly reduce the amount of incidents and the body counts. I'm not basing this suggestion on my 2nd Amendment rights or on some fear of having my guns taken away since I don't own any personally. 

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For the record, I have a commonly used weapon for murder at my disposal in case of home invasion or a car jacking - A baseball bat. That's right, baseball bats (blunt objects) are used in far more homicides than rifles. You can check me at the FBI Statistics. Now, of course handguns are the leader in homicides, but I live in Russia most of the year and I can't buy a handgun there.

https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2016/crime-in-the-u.s.-2016/tables/expanded-homicide-data-table-4.xls

## The Economics of Violent Crime and Terrorism

My argument for the use of armed guards and arming school staff is based on an economic principle rooted in the *path of least resistance.* For a perpetrator that is intent on killing a large number of people, they need to get the best possible result for the amount of effort and resources allocated to the endeavor. For instance, we use anti-money laundering laws to make it more difficult for terrorists or criminals to fund their activities in order to raise their cost of doing business. We created passport control systems to make it more difficult for known criminals or fake identities to travel between countries. Also, we created detection methods to make it more difficult to blow up a plane. 

If the likelihood of success is diminished significantly, then a perpetrator will either have to increase the amount of resources allocated to an endeavor or they will choose a different method or target. This is why we don't see planes getting bombed any longer, it is more difficult for criminals and terrorists to utilize the banking system, and it is extremely difficult to travel between countries if you are wanted by law enforcement.

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## Historic Examples

Some examples where an armed deterrent is used effectively in the U.S. 

Following a string of stagecoach robberies, Wells Fargo and other stagecoach companies hired an additional armed person to accompany their drivers. This is where we get the term "riding shotgun".

In response to a rash of armed robberies, banks started hiring armed guards in many of their locations. This is also one of the national issues that initiated the creation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

After a long series of airline hijackings and bombings, Israel began putting armed Air Marshalls on their El Al flights. The U.S. and other countries followed suit.

In order to protect President Lincoln from assassination attempts, an elite group of armed guards was created for the protection of the President. It is known as the Secret Service.

To protect legislators in State and National capitals, armed security services are used from a variety of public and private sources. In a recent case in D.C. these armed guards saved the lives of many legislators and killed a gunman.

Following a large number of former or disgruntled employees killing co-workers and bosses at U.S. Post Offices and other businesses, many companies and post offices starting employing metal detectors and armed guards. The term "going postal" was coined as a result of these events.

In order to protect witnesses, judges, and defendants from being shot, courthouses have metal detectors and armed guards.

Lastly, after the 911 terrorist attack, new measures of security were employed by airports around the world to prevent potential terrorists from boarding planes. Heavily armed guards were included in this measure and not just TSA personnel.

In each of these scenarios, an armed deterrent was created in order to prevent a similar situation from occuring in the future. For the most part, all of these measures have proven successful. So why are we willing to used armed guards to protect elected officials, judges, money, planes, and buildings, but we aren't willing to use the same deterrent to protect children in our schools? 

## The Solution is Obvious - Why Aren't There Hundreds of New Laws Being Presented to Fund Protection of Schools?

Where is the outcry to protect our children with equal lethal force just as we do to protect the assets and health of the rich and powerful? There is no doubt that something must be done to reduce school gun violence, but the best measure of protection is the single most villified solution by the vast majority of the local, national and international press. The narrative is strictly anti-gun and not pro-protection.

The U.S. education system is the best funded school system in world outspending all other countries on a per student basis. I would much rather see children protected by armed guards or teachers than to see a new computer or Ipad in the hands of a dead student. I have heard the suggestion made to put out of work veterans, retired police officers, and other well trained individuals in this role, but I haven't seen it adopted at a national level. The question we need to be asking is why isn't this happening?

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