Of the many school shootings in recent years, I am aware of none where armed cops were present.
Joel Send a noteboard - 23/12/2012 12:47:32 AM
cost would be the main one. I don't know how many schools there are in the US, but having at least one armed police officer at every one? You're talking billions at the very least.
Another case where the level of justified public debate about gun violence strongly suggests the cost would be more than worth it.
The evidence based on events like Columbine suggests it wouldn't, if it doesn't then that's quite a waste of 10% of your education budget.
As I noted in response to Novo, the novel appearance of armed police in US high schools coincided suspiciously well with Columbine. So, no, armed police in high schools did not prevent Columbine for the very simple reason armed police were virtually non-existent in US high schools prior to Columbine. They became ubiquitous promptly thereafter, which may be part of why the Newtown shooter attacked an elementary rather than junior or high school.
It is difficult to imagine armed police at schools would not dramatically reduce the incidence of school shootings. The only question is whether the current frequency and mortality of school shootings justifies the expense of greatly reducing or completely preventing them. I believe we are past the point of debating that.
then it will be worth the money obviously, it's if it doesn't that people will question it on a cost basis and it is a hell of a punt on something that has only small amounts of evidence in it's favour.
That is not conclusive, of course, but is highly suggestive. At this stage, I do not think "it would be expensive and could be ineffective" is a valid reason not to try something. Let us bear in mind that the national screening, training and certification requirements I want for guns would not be cheap or perfect either (those are among the popular NRA objections to them, actually.) Partial/total prohibition/confiscation certainly would not. I doubt any cheap but effective new national policy is possible, but SOME kind of new and effective policy is evidently necessary when we cannot go even six months without someone shooting dozens of innocent people.
The point is, the NRA is not urging vigilantism, handing untrained teachers concealed weapons or daring us to pry their guns from their cold dead hands. They have proposed a reasonable new policy that could not help but substantially improve public safety, with trained officers accountable to the public. Attacking that as some kind of violent radicalism is counterproductive. Gun control advocates have for years impatiently demanded the NRA propose/support reasonable policies to improve public safety; condemning them for finally doing so is not only insultingly ungrateful, but discourages them from wasting their time trying in future.
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Last First in wotmania Chat
Slightly better than chocolate.
Love still can't be coerced.
Please Don't Eat the Newbies!
LoL. Be well, RAFOlk.
the NRA shows it is an asylum overrun by lunatics
22/12/2012 04:40:26 PM
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I do not see why calling for armed cops at schools is an unreasonable response.
22/12/2012 04:53:06 PM
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I can think of two reasons off the top of my head
22/12/2012 05:38:19 PM
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If the schools that the children of our elected representatives attend are gaurded, so should mine.
26/12/2012 03:00:35 PM
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If someone is shooting at you having a gun to shoot back seems like a good idea
26/12/2012 06:10:07 PM
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The effectiveness issue aside
22/12/2012 06:13:30 PM
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Re: The effectiveness issue aside
22/12/2012 06:59:36 PM
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If you think it would solve the debate then probably
22/12/2012 07:09:42 PM
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Nothing will ever truly end the debate, but we can greatly reduce or end its justification.
22/12/2012 08:03:39 PM
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If it's shown to work
23/12/2012 12:25:38 AM
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Of the many school shootings in recent years, I am aware of none where armed cops were present.
23/12/2012 12:47:32 AM
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columbine had two armed guards on the day of the shooting. they were both immediately fired upon...
23/12/2012 12:49:30 AM
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I have never seen any mention of them among the injured or dead (or at all.)
23/12/2012 01:09:38 AM
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you should try harder
23/12/2012 01:15:34 AM
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"a motorcycle patrolman who was near the school writing a speeding ticket" is not stationed there.
23/12/2012 01:34:50 AM
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he still didn't stop the shooting, whether he was there before or after it started
23/12/2012 01:49:24 AM
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No kidding; how could he stop the shooting before it started if he was not there?
23/12/2012 02:16:59 AM
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A fuller account of Gardner
23/12/2012 10:27:24 AM
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Nice link.
23/12/2012 02:27:30 PM
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Re: Nice link.
23/12/2012 03:15:24 PM
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Inexplicably, Ft. Hood was a gun free zone (guess no one told the shooter.)
26/12/2012 06:12:42 PM
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Re: Nice link.
23/12/2012 04:21:27 PM
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Gardner:If you’re going to put a police officer in a school, make sure his focus stays on the school
26/12/2012 06:40:41 PM
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The children are what matter, not the school. Surely this isn't something you disagree on?
29/12/2012 02:15:12 PM
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As usual Moondog, you are missing a BUNCH of facts on this one (links inside)
26/12/2012 07:51:29 PM
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at last count, over 99,000 schools in the US
23/12/2012 12:45:30 AM
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What is public safety worth to you?
23/12/2012 12:54:04 AM
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it's not entirely a matter of cost, although that factors into it.
23/12/2012 01:01:50 AM
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There are many cases where armed cops ended mass shootings.
23/12/2012 01:28:25 AM
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there are none where an armed guard placed there *before* the shooting had any effect
23/12/2012 01:36:42 AM
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Kind of a Catch-22; if they PREVENT shootings, shootings can only occur in their absence.
23/12/2012 01:52:03 AM
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ok, here is my last word on the subject
23/12/2012 02:06:49 AM
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9 people injured vs. 20 people dead.
23/12/2012 02:34:00 AM
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it is still "more guns makes us safer" which has yet to prevent a single massacre in this country
23/12/2012 02:41:56 PM
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Care to prove that negative? The burden to do so is on you as the person who made the assertion.
26/12/2012 06:47:07 PM
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It doesn't have to be a full time gaurd standing looking dangerous.
26/12/2012 06:12:14 PM
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Re: the NRA shows it is an asylum overrun by lunatics
22/12/2012 06:36:32 PM
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I believe it is fairly common in junior and high schools today, but not elementary schools.
22/12/2012 07:12:32 PM
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This entire post is completely irrelevant.
22/12/2012 07:27:45 PM
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Those who want univeral prohibition/access are equally fringe minorities.
22/12/2012 08:18:00 PM
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there is no Left or Right on this issue, there is only Sane and Insane
23/12/2012 12:59:08 AM
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also: it's insulting to tell parents their kids would be alive if only more guns were around
23/12/2012 01:30:53 AM
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People die from all sort of causes
22/12/2012 07:27:53 PM
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Cars require training, certification and licensing, too; why should guns not?
22/12/2012 08:25:43 PM
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Do bombs require certification?
22/12/2012 09:21:25 PM
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No, they are pretty much illegal for the general public under all conditions.
22/12/2012 09:35:35 PM
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i say this with all due respect -- eat a bag of dicks
23/12/2012 01:04:08 AM
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That was pretty damn respectful under the circumstances.
23/12/2012 01:10:04 AM
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The lack of intellect displayed here is to be expected
23/12/2012 04:01:32 AM
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so according to you we should just make life illegal since everyone is going to die from something..
23/12/2012 07:25:05 AM
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Obviously you didn't put pay attention
23/12/2012 01:40:17 PM
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no, you said "fuck it because people die anyway". there is a big difference
23/12/2012 02:46:46 PM
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Dicks and stones
23/12/2012 03:54:25 AM
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cars and guns kill roughly the same number of people every year -- around 30,000 give or take
23/12/2012 01:02:44 AM
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But over half of gun deaths are suicide.....so cars are much more dangerous to society. *NM*
23/12/2012 05:35:45 AM
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Every year is iffy there, it dropped off the last two, was 40k-50k plus for cars since 1962
23/12/2012 11:55:50 AM
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except that cars are legislated to be safer every year, guns aren't.
23/12/2012 03:01:36 PM
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Guns are for killing, cars are for transport, cars aren't any safer now against use for homicide
23/12/2012 08:22:13 PM
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but if we are trying to minimize the number of deaths, then more MUST be done for gun laws
24/12/2012 03:33:31 AM
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More must be done to minimize, not necessarily with greater regulation
24/12/2012 04:27:04 AM
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Re: More must be done to minimize, not necessarily with greater regulation
25/12/2012 04:49:54 PM
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Re: More must be done to minimize, not necessarily with greater regulation
25/12/2012 08:41:53 PM
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Here is some interesting data.....knives are as dangerous as "non-handguns"
23/12/2012 05:45:08 AM
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I hope you don't mind me taking this opportunity to plug my new book, "How to Cook with Guns" *NM*
23/12/2012 03:04:06 PM
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there was a school mass stabbing in china the same day as sandy hook
23/12/2012 03:18:00 PM
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I am equally happy that the criminal was incompetant, but that does not diminish their lethality
27/12/2012 10:45:33 PM
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I'm not sure it's about guns.
23/12/2012 06:08:50 PM
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IMO it is about the media attention focuised on the perpetrator. Their name becomes history. *NM*
27/12/2012 10:47:15 PM
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