Generations of children already think a lot of fucked-up things in society are normal....what's one more thing.
You would be shocked at how inept cops are with guns. A lot of them barely train except right before their gun handling tests.
The downside is the acceptance of living in a defacto military state. Generations of children will think it is the norm the govt walks around on patrol with guns.
Let's weigh a couple of things:
1. Likelihood that 10 assault rifles will impact a mass shooter event * likelihood of a mass shooter event happening in Douglas CO Colorado
2. Impact of validating to a potential mass shooter that they are different and dangerous to society, thereby reducing the chance of filling an alternative role
Seems like most can do the math there. Nonetheless, this kind of stuff and "active shooter drills", etc. are increasing. Security theater. Awful stuff.
Generations of children already think a lot of fucked-up things in society are normal....what's one more thing.
You forgot one multiplier in there...the overreaction to guns that everyone has when a terrorist does shoot up a school. That factor is probably worth 10^10000000000 so that would cancel out any small odds that you have for the other two factors in #1.
All I can see is a 95% chance these rifles will be used in a school shooting and a 1% chance they will prevent one.
Let's weigh a couple of things:
1. Likelihood that 10 assault rifles will impact a mass shooter event * likelihood of a mass shooter event happening in Douglas CO Colorado
2. Impact of validating to a potential mass shooter that they are different and dangerous to society, thereby reducing the chance of filling an alternative role
Seems like most can do the math there. Nonetheless, this kind of stuff and "active shooter drills", etc. are increasing. Security theater. Awful stuff.
Most states require by law that school districts have at least one active shooter lockdown drill a year.
Um, bullshit. Merely planning to shoot the guard does not make the guard miraculously disappear. At the VERY least, an armed guard is an obstacle that the would-be murderer must first overcome. More likely, that armed guard is a significant deterrent in that the would-be murderer now has armed opposition, opposition likely better armed and better trained. The shooter is no longer the sole armed person there, able to shoot whomever he wishes with no personal danger.Completely pointless. As evidenced by one of the recent thwarted attempts at a large school shooting, the perpetrator's plans included the resource officers schedule - he was going to be the first person shot.
A kid not taking an officer in the school into account would be like holding up a bank that has an armed guard in the doorway, without worrying about that armed guard until after you hold up the bank. Armed guards serve as a deterrent to someone who's not willing to get into a fire fight. An armed officer in a school doesn't deter someone who has already stepped over the line and decided they're going to shoot people.
I think that's a valid concern. If a government group is going to be armed as cops, then they should BE cops, with the same hiring and behavior requirements and the same training. I have no problem with the school system operating its own police force IFF they are operated AS a police force, rather than getting all the lethality and a fraction of the continued training.so do parole officers
and meter maids
and workstudy nighttime security guards at your campus library
and hall monitors
oh and so do the actual LEOs that were released from the force for....reasons.
etc.
12k for the 8 guns. 8 officers receiving 20 hours of training each. That's not cheap - you're paying them by the hour. Money is a finite resource. That would afford a teacher's aid who would be far more likely to make a positive difference.I'd argue this is not a "largely pointless and wasteful move" as Rifles offer a significant advantage over handguns in combat situations. Second, the local PD and SWAT may certainly be better trained than security with "LE experience" but the security personnel are already on scene. Through the training I have seen and read the emphasis is on confronting the threat immediately. That means if a beat cop on patrol is first on scene, he goes in and doesn't wait for SWAT. A majority of mass/school shooters end their spree once confronted by armed resistance. So having a capably equipped officer in the school can reduce the time the shooter is roaming the halls unobstructed.
While some valid point are raised by some here about the shooter eliminating the security officer first, the best laid plans can and usually do go to waste once in play. In such a scenario it would be beneficial to have MORE armed resistance on scene for the shooter. I know some schools allow concealed carry for teachers. Kind of makes it hard for the shooter to eliminate armed resistance if he either doesn't know who is armed or how many.
Yes school shootings are rare and there are other more dangerous things to children, like pools and stairs. A parent can educate their children on the dangers around pools and stairs to reduce their risk of accidental death. There is little you can do for your child in the event of an armed gunman in their school.
Ar15s can be purchased/built for ~$500 each. Depending on the district budget it may not be a huge expense that has a significant boost to an officers effectiveness in an active shooter scenario.
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Columbine had an armed guard, derp. Why didn't he stop either shooter? Oh yeah, because the shooters planned for when he wouldn't be able to. So, again - nearly any kid planning an event like Columbine is going to take into account the massively publicized guards with rifles.Um, bullshit. Merely planning to shoot the guard does not make the guard miraculously disappear. At the VERY least, an armed guard is an obstacle that the would-be murderer must first overcome. More likely, that armed guard is a significant deterrent in that the would-be murderer now has armed opposition, opposition likely better armed and better trained. The shooter is no longer the sole armed person there, able to shoot whomever he wishes with no personal danger.
Columbine's armed guard didn't he stop either shooter because he ran from the shooting. The Columbine police department is (or at least was) a particularly horrid example, not only doing nothing while teachers and kids were being murdered but afterward setting the security footage to music and distributing it to other cops. Pre-Columbine, the feeling was that most school shooters don't really want to kill anyone, so a slow, deliberate response was best for everyone. Post-Columbine, cops are trained to run toward the shooting, not even waiting for back-up. My only concern is that these guards might not be considered cops. Takes a lot more than a rifle to make someone run toward gunfire.12k for the 8 guns. 8 officers receiving 20 hours of training each. That's not cheap - you're paying them by the hour. Money is a finite resource. That would afford a teacher's aid who would be far more likely to make a positive difference.
So many people in this thread seem to lack thd ability to do an accurate risk assessment. More children drown each year than all of the school shooting deaths since Columbine put together. If that money was spent installing pool alarms in the community instead, it would be far more likely to save lives. Throwing money at an incredibly low risk to children is simply wasteful.
Columbine had an armed guard, derp. Why didn't he stop either shooter? Oh yeah, because the shooters planned for when he wouldn't be able to. So, again - nearly any kid planning an event like Columbine is going to take into account the massively publicized guards with rifles.
You want a smarter investment? Doors that are always locked, but held open via a low voltage electromagnetic system. And staff training. In the event of a lockdown for any reason - you can only go through those doors in one direction - toward the exits. There's no roaming down the hallways (plural) because you can't get to other hallways. All classroom doors are shut at the push of a button.
And lastly, the claim that the Sheriff's deputy in the Arapahoe school shooting prevented more people from being shot isn't quite as strong as some of you apparently believe. It is true that he rushed to the scene, but he never confronted the shooter with his own weapon - the shooter had died of a self-inflicted gunshot.