Hopefully, I'm replying before this devolves into another pointing finger insult fest in regards to school shootings & gun control.
1-I'm surprised that this conversation is allowed at all due to the potential of the website getting shadow banned from google.
2-When shadow banning gets more prevalent...it will be impossible to doe proper due diligence on a variety of topics...this just being one of them.
3-Neither Washington D.C. nor the Capital are gun free zones.
Washington D.C. went thru the whole "the sky is falling". But the crime rates have gone down a significant margin (at least 20% if I remember correctly) across the spectrum despite gun control activists scare tactics (whether they were disingenuous or simply misinformed, I do not know).
The Capital may be technically gun free (at least for us lowly civilians)...I would assume so. But even so, you are comparing apples to oranges. There are armed people of various stripes throughout. Take your pick; CIA , FBI, Marines & Army personnel in various defensive positions. Not to mention the private security hired by various individuals for protection. Since they themselves do not (and most likely can not) carry. There really isn't much to compare schools to in this regards...we all know that they are & remain immensely soft targets. There isn't much that can be done about that...especially in our current culture of mass concentration of students. Most schools are consolidated to the point of having a higher population than most towns do in America, yet have less "security" than most malls or other public places. I say "security" with quotation marks because nothing else in America has the amount of ingress or egress as the American High School does on a daily basis. Sure, they may have the equivalent of or more people passing through on a daily basis. But not in the condensed time frame.
4-Security at practically any level is a bad joke in any case. I'm wandering abit off topic here...sorry. But I have to mention most security is merely symbolic & psychological rather than practical. Take prisons for example, one of the most "secure" environments you will ever find. Where the inmates are frisked routinely...unarmed...and yet, they routinely find ingenious ways to kill each other. If not for their care takers...I bet you would hear on occasion about murder sprees from within those confined "secure" spaces. And yes...I am implying that you need those capable of violence to prevent those who are abusing violence for personal gain, and yes....you can freely replace "violence" for "guns". But beyond even that....you have these unarmed individuals overpowering those that are in possession of weapons. The weapons are not the cause....the culture/environment is.
5-Arming teachers:
On this I've always been of two minds...there are days I am for it:
A-response times of first responders will never be fast enough to prevent the carnage
B-active deterrent for most of the profiles of known shooters (if only they targeted police stations instead)
C-reacquainting the population with this useful tool. One that for most of Americas existence was a common household tool.
vs
the days I am against it:
A-shootings of aggrieved people...whether they be student or faculty (it will happen, would be less than the current situation....but regardless, unacceptable)
B-Some faculty member just going postal (come on....there is a reason the term exists in the first place)
C-Individuals being armed who do not posses the right characteristics, whether they be to cocky or undisciplined (this one really isn't one of mine, simply because most people know if they are or not competent enough to handle the responsibility...as far as the show boats go. They would also be regulated because of peer review.)
I believe I have rattled on long enough for one post on this debate. But there are many, MANY facets to this issue that should be considered & pursued to reach our desired outcome. I won't say no more mass shootings, because that implies the weapon of choice...the firearm, is the reason of these events. Don't forget the murder spree in Barcelona that happened not long ago. Where the terrorist used a truck. Nor was Barcelona the only recent event that an evil individual used a vehicle instead of a bullet.
