theclemsonkid
Member
One of the local Cleveland talk radio hosts (on the FOX News affiliate, for some context) spent four hours the other night on the question of "If it's your kid we're talking about, what do you want their school to do to feel safe from a school shooting?"
The answers ranged from metal detectors, to armed police, arm some of the teachers, etc. The answer that probably got the most traction, was something that sounded great on the surface:
Why don't we take all of these returning veterans who can't find work, and let them guard the schools! That way, our schools are protected, and veterans are getting jobs. Without thinking too much into it, it sounds legit.
The more I thought about it though, a few concerns crossed my mind. First off, while school shootings make a splash in the media when they do occur, exactly how likely are they to happen? From 1992 through Sandy Hook, the odds of any one child being killed in a school shooting (or any homicide in general) are 1 in a little over 1.2 million. To put that in perspective, a child is 450 times more likely to be killed in an automobile accident on the way to or from school. In fact, you're more likely to lose a child choking on their school lunch than a shooting, by a pretty big number. So, before people think it's the end of the world, remember that while scary, they just really aren't that common.
The second thing is the cost. There are approximately 138,000 schools in the country. Assuming you had a single armed vet at each school, and paid them a modest $8.00 an hour over a 10 hour day over 180 school days, you'd be looking at around 1.9 billion in salary, another 500 million in insurance/costs, and assuming you provided the vet with a handgun, ammo, and training, you'd be looking at another 125 million. With districts already cutting gym classes, sports, extra curriculars, bussing, and other various things... where are they going to come up with more money from already depleted budgets? All this for something that again, you've got a 1 in 1.2 million change of happening.
Lastly, do you really want to arm 138,000 vets, some who have seen combat and gruesome, disgusting acts in service? While it would be a small number, how many of those former vets could experience PTSD, flashbacks, and who knows what else? My grandfather said it best when I asked about his time in the Pacific theater in WWII when he told me "War changes a man".
By my estimation, you'd probably have someone from that background fly off the handle and shoot up a school more often than some looney tune off the street. Let me emphasize that I am not knocking vets, I just know that some of the things they see can and often do come back to haunt them later in life. I would hate for that moment to be involved in shooting up a school they are supposed to protect.
My point is, both scenarios (a random school shooting, or one by a vet guard) are so rare, that I don't think we should really do anything to fortify these schools.
It's kind of like gun control. You can do everything you want to make guns illegal, that's not going to stop the criminals and the crazies from both getting and using them.
What are your thoughts?
The answers ranged from metal detectors, to armed police, arm some of the teachers, etc. The answer that probably got the most traction, was something that sounded great on the surface:
Why don't we take all of these returning veterans who can't find work, and let them guard the schools! That way, our schools are protected, and veterans are getting jobs. Without thinking too much into it, it sounds legit.
The more I thought about it though, a few concerns crossed my mind. First off, while school shootings make a splash in the media when they do occur, exactly how likely are they to happen? From 1992 through Sandy Hook, the odds of any one child being killed in a school shooting (or any homicide in general) are 1 in a little over 1.2 million. To put that in perspective, a child is 450 times more likely to be killed in an automobile accident on the way to or from school. In fact, you're more likely to lose a child choking on their school lunch than a shooting, by a pretty big number. So, before people think it's the end of the world, remember that while scary, they just really aren't that common.
The second thing is the cost. There are approximately 138,000 schools in the country. Assuming you had a single armed vet at each school, and paid them a modest $8.00 an hour over a 10 hour day over 180 school days, you'd be looking at around 1.9 billion in salary, another 500 million in insurance/costs, and assuming you provided the vet with a handgun, ammo, and training, you'd be looking at another 125 million. With districts already cutting gym classes, sports, extra curriculars, bussing, and other various things... where are they going to come up with more money from already depleted budgets? All this for something that again, you've got a 1 in 1.2 million change of happening.
Lastly, do you really want to arm 138,000 vets, some who have seen combat and gruesome, disgusting acts in service? While it would be a small number, how many of those former vets could experience PTSD, flashbacks, and who knows what else? My grandfather said it best when I asked about his time in the Pacific theater in WWII when he told me "War changes a man".
By my estimation, you'd probably have someone from that background fly off the handle and shoot up a school more often than some looney tune off the street. Let me emphasize that I am not knocking vets, I just know that some of the things they see can and often do come back to haunt them later in life. I would hate for that moment to be involved in shooting up a school they are supposed to protect.
My point is, both scenarios (a random school shooting, or one by a vet guard) are so rare, that I don't think we should really do anything to fortify these schools.
It's kind of like gun control. You can do everything you want to make guns illegal, that's not going to stop the criminals and the crazies from both getting and using them.
What are your thoughts?
