{"id":1913356,"date":"2023-04-12T00:13:51","date_gmt":"2023-04-12T04:13:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/four-underused-tools-to-stop-school-shootings\/"},"modified":"2023-04-12T00:15:10","modified_gmt":"2023-04-12T04:15:10","slug":"four-underused-tools-to-stop-school-shootings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/four-underused-tools-to-stop-school-shootings\/","title":{"rendered":"Four Underused Tools to Stop School Shootings"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffour-underused-tools-to-stop-school-shootings%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1913356&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div id=\"content\">\n<article id=\"post-10896\">\n<div id=\"single-content-area\">\n<p><span>By James D. Agresti<\/span><br \/> <span>April 11, 2023<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10895\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10895\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.justfactsdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/school_shooting.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10895\">Credit: vchal\/Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In the aftermath of school shootings, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justfactsdaily.com\/deadly-falsehoods-orlando-shooting-gun-control\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">media<\/a> outlets <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justfactsdaily.com\/should-the-u-s-adopt-australias-strict-gun-laws\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">often<\/a> amplify <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justfactsdaily.com\/progressive-myths-about-mass-shootings-and-weapons-of-war\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">calls<\/a> for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justfactsdaily.com\/five-fallacies-about-guns-and-violence\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">gun control<\/a> while ignoring or spurning evidence-based ways to protect students. Here are four life-saving tools they are missing or dismissing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Shatter-Resistant Entryways<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As documented in the academic journal <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/full\/10.1080\/15564886.2017.1307293\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Victims &#038; Offenders<\/a><\/em>, an \u201cimmediate and economical\u201d way to protect students \u201cis to tighten\u201d access to school buildings. Many school administrators have done this simply by locking doors. However, there are roughly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justfacts.com\/guncontrol.asp#ownership\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">460 million<\/a> firearms in the U.S., and the bulk of them will quickly shatter the glass entrances that are a common feature of schools, allowing killers to enter in a few seconds.<\/p>\n<p>That is precisely what happened in the Covenant Christian school shooting in Nashville where the killer took the lives of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nashville.gov\/departments\/police\/news\/investigation-continuing-todays-active-shooter-murders-covenant-school\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">three 9-year-old children and three staff<\/a> after <a href=\"https:\/\/rumble.com\/v2fisi4-nashville-covenant-christian-school-killer-shooting-out-glass-entryways.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">shooting out<\/a> the school\u2019s glass doors and walking into the building:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/rumble.com\/v2fisi4-nashville-covenant-christian-school-killer-shooting-out-glass-entryways.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Likewise, the perpetrator of the 2012 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/full\/10.1080\/15564886.2017.1307293\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre<\/a> in Newtown, CT broke into the building by shooting out a glass panel at the school\u2019s entryway. He then proceeded to slaughter 20 students and 6 adults.<\/p>\n<p>These and other such tragedies may be prevented if schools took a simple and affordable action: apply a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=96x2tO9Xuxw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">security film<\/a> that prevents glass entryways from shattering when bullets hit them:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=96x2tO9Xuxw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Note that the treatment doesn\u2019t make glass bulletproof or impenetrable. Instead, it makes the glass shatter-resistant. This slows down intruders and affords precious time for students to flee or help to arrive.<\/p>\n<p>Nor does every piece of glass in a school need to be treated. Just installing the film on exterior entryways can substantially improve safety, and selecting other strategic locations can help as well.<\/p>\n<p>Security film is relatively inexpensive and quickly installed. From large public schools to small private ones, the cost of this potential lifesaver is typically less than 1% of a school\u2019s annual budget. Once applied, it lasts for the lifetime of the glass.<\/p>\n<p>For example, it took one day and cost $5,000 in materials and labor to treat a church with more than 20 glass entryway panes on the front, side, and back of the building. Similarly, public school administrators who were hesitant to install security film due to cost concerns found they were able to apply it in a lot more locations than they originally anticipated because it was so affordable.<\/p>\n<p>Seemingly unaware of this life-shielding opportunity, ABC News <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/US\/nashville-shooting-shows-school-doors-security-weakness-expert\/story?id=98178022\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">recently reported<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Brad Garrett\u2014a retired FBI agent and an ABC News contributor, who has done security audits on schools\u2014said fortifying entrance doors with material like bulletproof glass, is cost prohibitive for most schools, especially a small Christian school like Covenant. He said metal doors are a cheaper option, but they make schools feel dark and \u201cprison-like.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Thus, it appears that a massive media outlet and a former FBI agent who specializes in school security are unfamiliar with an option that addresses those concerns.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Don\u2019t Make Celebrities of Mass Murderers<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The 1999 Columbine High School massacre was the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/full\/10.1080\/0735648X.2017.1284689\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">first mass shooting<\/a> that received wall-to-wall media coverage, and ever since then, the press has made the perpetrators of such slaughters into household names. During this same era, fatal school shootings have occurred <a href=\"https:\/\/nces.ed.gov\/programs\/coe\/indicator\/a01\/violent-deaths-and-shootings?tid=4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">every year<\/a> in the United States.<\/p>\n<p>Documenting the impact of this and offering a simple solution, <a href=\"https:\/\/schoolshooters.info\/about-dr-langman\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dr. Peter Langman<\/a>, a Ph.D. psychologist and one of the world\u2019s leading authorities on the \u201cpsychology of school shooters and other perpetrators of mass violence,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1177\/0002764217739663\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">writes<\/a> that:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>because of the frequency of mass killers citing previous perpetrators as role models or sources of inspiration, it is critical that media outlets give careful consideration to how they cover such incidents. It seems likely that the more the media focuses on the perpetrators rather than the victims, the more people who are at risk of violence will be influenced to commit their own attacks, whether due to imitation, inspiration, idolizing, perceived similarities, sympathy with the cause, or their desire for fame.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Compulsory Mental Health Treatment<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC2922980\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">vast majority<\/a> of people with mental illness are not violent, the perpetrators of mass shootings are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justfacts.com\/guncontrol#mass_mental\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">far more likely<\/a> to suffer from serious psychiatric disorders than the general population. This is especially true of people who commit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justfacts.com\/guncontrol#mass_types\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">indiscriminate<\/a> mass shootings in which an attacker wantonly kills people in a public setting like a school, park, or church.<\/p>\n<p>A study published in the journal <em><a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1111\/1745-9133.12478\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Criminology &#038; Public Policy<\/a><\/em> found that 35% of people who committed indiscriminate mass shootings from 1976 to 2018 had paranoid schizophrenia, and 60% of the shooters \u201chad been either diagnosed with a mental disorder or demonstrated signs of serious mental illness prior to the attack.\u201d Some examples include the perpetrators of the slaughters at:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flsenate.gov\/usercontent\/session\/executivesuspensions\/israel_scott\/20191016DanielleTerrellAffidavitandDocs.pdf#page=304\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School<\/a> in Parkland, Florida.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.seattle.gov\/Documents\/Departments\/Emergency\/ScientificArticles\/187053363-Sandy-Hook-Final-Report.pdf#page=39\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sandy Hook Elementary School<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.lib.vt.edu\/prevail\/docs\/April16ReportRev20091204.pdf#page=63\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Virginia Tech<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/05\/25\/details-emerge-on-texas-school-shooter-salvador-ramos-behavior\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Robb Elementary School<\/a> in Uvalde, Texas.<\/li>\n<li>the Orlando <u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oversight.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/oig-reports\/a20030.pdf#page=30\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pulse Nightclub<\/a>.<\/u><\/li>\n<li>an Aurora, Colorado <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/4007772003c946b998ecb6d2ecc9fe12\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">movie theater<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>a Boulder, Colorado <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2021\/03\/23\/boulder-shooting-suspect-ahmad-al-aliwi-alissa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">grocery store<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oversight.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/oig-reports\/a20030.pdf#page=30\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Fort Lauderdale International Airport<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>the Tucson, Arizona \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.secretservice.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/2020-04\/Jared_Loughner_Using_Systems.pdf#page=6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Congress on Your Corner<\/a>\u201d event with Gabby Giffords.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In comparison, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nimh.nih.gov\/health\/statistics\/schizophrenia.shtml#part_154880\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">less than 1%<\/a> of the U.S. general population have schizophrenia or a related disorder, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.samhsa.gov\/data\/sites\/default\/files\/cbhsq-reports\/NSDUHNationalFindingsReport2018\/NSDUHNationalFindingsReport2018.pdf#page=6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">4.6%<\/a> of noninstitutionalized U.S. adults have a serious mental illness.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps more telling, the <em><a href=\"https:\/\/journals.lww.com\/psychopharmacology\/Abstract\/2021\/07000\/Domestic_Mass_Shooters-The_Association_With.5.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology<\/a><\/em> published a study of people who committed a mass shooting from 1982 to 2019 and survived. The study focused on the survivors, as opposed to those who died, because the ensuing legal proceedings revealed \u201cthe most reliable psychiatric information.\u201d Among the 35 mass shooters who survived, 51% had schizophrenia, and 80% had a psychiatric diagnosis.<\/p>\n<p>Although <a href=\"https:\/\/www.samhsa.gov\/data\/sites\/default\/files\/reports\/rpt39443\/2021NSDUHFFRRev010323.pdf#page=62\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">18.8%<\/a> of U.S. adults received mental health services in 2021, people who desperately need such help <a href=\"https:\/\/ps.psychiatryonline.org\/doi\/full\/10.1176\/appi.ps.201500542\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">often refuse care<\/a>. For instance, the:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Parkland <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flsenate.gov\/usercontent\/session\/executivesuspensions\/israel_scott\/20191016DanielleTerrellAffidavitandDocs.pdf#page=304\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">killer<\/a> \u201creceived extensive mental and behavioral health services until he turned 18 and decided himself to stop treatment.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Sandy Hook <a href=\"https:\/\/www.seattle.gov\/Documents\/Departments\/Emergency\/ScientificArticles\/187053363-Sandy-Hook-Final-Report.pdf#page=39\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">killer<\/a> \u201crefused to take suggested medication and did not engage in suggested behavior therapies.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Virginia Tech <a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.lib.vt.edu\/prevail\/docs\/April16ReportRev20091204.pdf#page=63\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">killer<\/a> \u201cwas the biggest impediment to stabilizing his mental health.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It is important to understand that <a href=\"http:\/\/www.justfacts.com\/immigration#association_causation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">correlation does not prove causation<\/a>, but there is a very strong correlation between the rise of indiscriminate mass shootings and the mass deinstitutionalization of psychiatric patients that occurred in the U.S. from 1955 to around 2010.<\/p>\n<p>During that period, the portion of the U.S. population in public psychiatric hospitals declined <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justfacts.com\/guncontrol#mass_mental\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">by 96%<\/a>. Highlighting the implications of this, a 1997 academic book about \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/wgbh\/pages\/frontline\/shows\/asylums\/special\/excerpt.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">America\u2019s mental illness crisis<\/a>\u201d explains:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cThe magnitude of deinstitutionalization of the severely mentally ill qualifies it as one of the largest social experiments in American history.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>About \u201c763,391 severely mentally ill people (over three-quarters of a million) are living in the community today who would have been hospitalized 40 years ago.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Over the periods before, during, and after the U.S. experiment in mass deinstitutionalization, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justfacts.com\/guncontrol#mass_mental\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">rates of indiscriminate mass shootings<\/a> sextupled:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.justfactsdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/indiscriminate_average.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>With no regard for those facts and without presenting any evidence to support his claims, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D\u2013CT) has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/spare-bullshit-sen-chris-murphy-rips-gop-colleagues-texas-shooting-rcna30405\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">declared<\/a>, \u201cSpare me the bullshit about mental illness. We don\u2019t have any more mental illness than any other country in the world. You cannot explain this through a prism of mental illness, because we don\u2019t\u2014we\u2019re not an outlier on mental illness. We\u2019re an outlier when it comes to access to firearms and the ability of criminals and very sick people to get their hands on firearms. That\u2019s what makes America different.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Likewise, media outlets such as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/health\/2019\/08\/05\/is-mental-illness-causing-americas-mass-shootings-no-research-shows\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Washington Post<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2017\/11\/07\/world\/americas\/mass-shootings-us-international.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New York Times<\/a> allege that the only material difference between the U.S. and developed countries with vastly lower <a href=\"https:\/\/data.worldbank.org\/indicator\/VC.IHR.PSRC.P5?view=chart\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">murder rates<\/a> is that America has more guns. Thus, they conclude that guns must be the problem\u2014commonly using Japan as a comparator because it has very low gun ownership and murder rates.<\/p>\n<p>In reality, however, a major difference is that the U.S. has one of the lowest rates of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justfacts.com\/guncontrol#mass_mental\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">psychiatric institutionalization<\/a> in the developed world, and Japan\u2019s rate is about 10 times greater:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.justfactsdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/psychiatric_institutionalization_developed_nations_2019.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>It is not easy to craft policies to ensure that people who seriously need help get it without forcing others to undergo unnecessary mental health treatments. However, cases like the Virginia Tech massacre\u2014the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/476381\/school-shootings-in-the-us-by-victim-count\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">deadliest<\/a> school shooting in U.S. history\u2014show there is much room for improvement. As detailed in the <a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.lib.vt.edu\/prevail\/docs\/April16ReportRev20091204.pdf#page=63\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">official report<\/a> of this tragedy that cost the lives of 32 students and faculty:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cIt is common practice to require students entering a new school, college, or university to present records of immunization. Why not records of serious emotional or mental problem too? \u2026 The answer is obvious: personal privacy.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>In social and classroom settings, the student engaged in a pattern of \u201cthreatening behavior,\u201d such as taking out a knife at a party and \u201cstabbing the carpet.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>A poetry professor \u201cbegan noticing that fewer students were attending\u201d her class, so she \u201casked a student what was going on, and he said, \u2018It\u2019s the boy \u2026 everyone\u2019s afraid of him\u2019.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>While the chair of the English department was personally working with the student, she wrote a letter to a dean stating that \u201call of his submissions so far have been about shooting or harming people because he\u2019s angered by their authority or by their behavior. \u2026 I am encouraging him to see a counselor\u2013\u2013something he\u2019s resisted so far.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>After numerous incidents and a finding by a clinical social worker that the student \u201cwas mentally ill, was an imminent danger to self or others, and was not willing to be treated voluntarily,\u201d the student was involuntarily hospitalized for one night. However, he was released after he falsely denied \u201cany previous mental health treatment.\u201d The psychiatrist took his word for this because that\u2019s the \u201cstandard practice\u201d and \u201cprivacy laws impede the gathering of collateral information.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Upon his release, a special justice ruled that the student \u201cpresents an imminent danger to himself as a result of mental illness\u201d and ordered him \u201cto follow all recommended treatments.\u201d However, the counseling center he went to had a \u201cpolicy\u201d of allowing \u201cpatients to decide whether to make a followup appointment,\u201d and the student did not.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/9f92fe777771465b87f6ec828e40e9fb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Similar circumstances<\/a> surrounded the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sun-sentinel.com\/local\/broward\/parkland\/florida-school-shooting\/fl-florida-school-shooting-consultant-report-full-20180803-story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">mental health<\/a> of the mass murderer in Parkland and the perpetrators of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.secretservice.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/2020-04\/Jared_Loughner_Using_Systems.pdf#page=6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">other<\/a> such <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eastvalleytribune.com\/local\/education\/movie-theater-attack-did-school-drop-the-ball\/article_261ffff4-ddaf-11e1-a1d8-001a4bcf887a.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">massacres<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Arming Selected Teachers<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Despite <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/realjustfacts\/status\/1641486834868813824\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">knee-jerk reactions<\/a> to arming teachers, this action can significantly and discretely improve the safety of students for a fraction of the cost of employing officers or security guards. This is because teachers and other school employees:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>who are willing and able to protect students can be quickly trained to be as safe and proficient with a firearm as police.<\/li>\n<li>are ubiquitous in schools and can provide ample coverage of buildings and campuses, something that has been severely lacking in school massacres.<\/li>\n<li>would covertly carry, giving them an advantage of surprise over would-be attackers.<\/li>\n<li>can be seriously trained, appropriately armed, and generously paid for about 1% of what is already spent on schools.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Large crowds\u2014like those found in schools, concerts, and sporting events\u2014are prime targets for mass murderers. That\u2019s why the Superdome in New Orleans\u2014which has a seating capacity of <a href=\"http:\/\/superdome.s3.amazonaws.com\/doc\/presskit.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">73,208 people<\/a>\u2014has more than \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.securitymagazine.com\/articles\/85610-balancing-security-and-the-fan-experience-in-sports-security\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">900 public safety personnel<\/a>\u201d on duty in the stadium and surrounding area during \u201clarge events such as football games.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That amounts to one security personnel for every 80 people, including \u201carmed public safety officers, non-armed game day security guards along with officers from the Louisiana State Police, New Orleans Police Department and Orleans Parish Sheriff\u2019s Department.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In comparison, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School\u2014which had about <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sun-sentinel.com\/local\/broward\/parkland\/florida-school-shooting\/fl-sb-stoneman-marjory-douglas-high-school-facts-20180214-story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">3,200 students<\/a> at the time it was attacked\u2014had only <a href=\"http:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/Politics\/trump-slams-deputy-waited-florida-high-school-shooting\/story?id=53303616\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">one armed guard<\/a> on duty. This is about 1\/40<sup>th<\/sup> of the security per person at the Superdome.<\/p>\n<p>Columbine had about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justfacts.com\/document\/wanton_violence_columbine_high_school_dhs.pdf#page=23\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">1,900 students<\/a> and one armed guard, or 1\/24<sup>th<\/sup> of the Dome\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>During the <a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.lib.vt.edu\/prevail\/docs\/April16ReportRev20091204.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Virginia Tech<\/a> slaughter, the campus had 26,370 students and \u201c131 major buildings spread over 2,600 acres,\u201d while \u201conly 14\u201d officers were on duty, including \u201c5 on patrol and 9 in the office.\u201d In other words, each patrol officer was responsible for protecting about 5,000 students, 25 buildings, and 500 acres.<\/p>\n<p>Such security is grossly inadequate because killers can easily find a soft spot without guards. This need not be the case. Given that the average <a href=\"https:\/\/nces.ed.gov\/programs\/digest\/d16\/tables\/dt16_208.20.asp?current=yes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pupil\/teacher ratio<\/a> in public schools is about 16 to 1, arming one out of five teachers would equal the Dome\u2019s ratio of 80 to 1.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, teachers would carry the weapons covertly, making it nearly impossible for assailants to determine who is armed and who is not. This can provide an <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.dtic.mil\/sti\/pdfs\/AD1053403.pdf#page=68\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">element of surprise<\/a> crucial to saving lives.<\/p>\n<p>Contrary to claims spread by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.realclearpolitics.com\/video\/2018\/02\/21\/cnns_toobin_trumps_idea_to_arm_teachers_is_insane.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CNN<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/trump-s-proposal-arm-teachers-panned-experts-colossally-stupid-idea-n850286\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NBC<\/a>, teachers can rival the firearm skills of police officers. This is because even recreational shooters fire as accurately as police, and most officers only receive a modest amount of firearm training.<\/p>\n<p>In 2015, the <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1177\/1461355715582975?journalCode=psma\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>International Journal of Police Science &#038; Management <\/em><\/a>published a study on the risks of \u201cdeadly police shootouts.\u201d This involved testing \u201cthe level of shooting accuracy demonstrated by law enforcement recruits upon completion\u201d of \u201ctheir firearms training in comparison with novice\u201d recruits who had not yet received this training. The study found:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cno difference\u201d in accuracy at any distance between recruits who had completed law enforcement or military handgun training and those who only had \u201crecreational\u201d handgun experience.<\/li>\n<li>trained officers were \u201conly 10% more accurate\u201d than recruits with \u201cminimal\/no experience\u201d at ranges of 3 to 15 feet, which is where a \u201cmajority of gunfights and critical situations will likely\u201d occur.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>On average, police receive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bjs.gov\/content\/pub\/pdf\/slleta13.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">71 hours<\/a> of firearms instruction in their initial academy training and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.policeone.com\/police-training\/articles\/3738401-Police-firearms-training-How-often-should-you-be-shooting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">less than 15 hours<\/a> per year thereafter. They also get very little real-world experience with firing guns. A 2017 Pew poll <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/fact-tank\/2017\/02\/08\/a-closer-look-at-police-officers-who-have-fired-their-weapon-on-duty\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">found<\/a> that \u201conly about a quarter (27%) of all officers say they have <em>ever<\/em> fired their service weapon\u201d in the line of duty.<\/p>\n<p>These facts point to the conclusion that selected and well-trained teachers would be very effective in protecting the lives of students. Even the general public saves far more lives with guns than are lost in accidents. U.S. civilians use guns to stop <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justfacts.com\/guncontrol.asp#crime\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">potentially lethal violence<\/a> more than 100,000 times per year, while there are less than 600 fatal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justfacts.com\/guncontrol.asp#accidents\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">firearm accidents<\/a> per year.<\/p>\n<p>Despite <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2018\/02\/22\/jon-avlon-too-expensive-to-arm-teachers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">claims<\/a> that arming teachers would be too costly, it would amount to a drop in the bucket of current school spending. Even under a high-cost scenario where teachers receive five times more gun training than police and are well paid for their training time, the annual cost of equipping, training, and supervising one out of five teachers would be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justfactsdaily.com\/media-misinformation-about-arming-teachers#costs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">about 1%<\/a> of government spending on schools.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Assumptions, politics, and sentiments aside, people can quickly and inexpensively reduce the risk of school shooting deaths by:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>hardening the glass entryways to schools by treating them with films that prevent the doors from shattering if shot.<\/li>\n<li>limiting the amount of fame bestowed on the perpetrators of mass murders.<\/li>\n<li>implementing policies to ensure that people with serious psychiatric disorders get the help they need, even if they are unwilling to be treated.<\/li>\n<li>arming and training selected teachers who are willing and able to protect students.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By James D. Agresti April 11, 2023 Credit: vchal\/Shutterstock.com In the aftermath of school shootings, media outlets often amplify calls for gun control while ignoring or spurning evidence-based ways to protect students. Here are four life-saving tools they are missing or dismissing. Shatter-Resistant Entryways As documented in the academic journal Victims &amp; Offenders, an \u201cimmediate<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1913357,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[547],"tags":[3924,6744,15584,24174],"class_list":["post-1913356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-bongino-report","tag-school","tag-shootings","tag-tools","tag-underused"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1913356","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1913356"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1913356\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1913357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1913356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1913356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1913356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}