Forgive us, Gentle Reader, if the tone of this column is more dispassionate than the subject would seem to require. Passions run high when it comes to school shootings, gun control and what to do (or not do) about it all. And, as of this writing, there is still a young lady clinging to life in Maryland, another student still recuperating, and one young man dead.
But this is a discussion that must continue, and it might prove useful if there is less shouting. As the Good Book says, come, let us reason together.
If social media and certain op-eds are any indication, there are still those who oppose firearms in schools. Even when those firearms are in the hands of the good guys. What happened in Maryland the other day, specifically in St. Mary's County at a school called Great Mills High, is an example of how having more armed cops in schools can protect our children.
Before 8 a.m. on Tuesday, a 17-year-old student walked into the school and shot two students. The authorities say a school resource officer "engaged" the young man and "stopped the threat." Which is euphemism for a cop shot the perp. Word coming from the media in Maryland is that the young man got off one more shot before he was killed, so there's still a bit of confusion about how he died, but it was either from the officer's gun or the shooter's own.
The officer is being praised for his quick action. Apparently he approached the gunman seconds after the first shots were fired and took action. Compare what he did with the deputy in Florida who didn't go inside Stoneman Douglas High during that massacre. You might as well compare them. Everybody else is.
Maryland is an example of how school shootings should be handled (since we can't wave magic wands and make guns disappear). A trained, armed officer on campus does what he's called upon to do: serve and protect. For those schools that can't afford police officers, we'd recommend somebody stand between our kids and the crazies--perhaps a few teachers who volunteer for such an assignment, pass background checks and get the required training.
Some feel that such a plan of action is controversial. We'd note that 20 years ago, after Jonesboro and Columbine, certain folks suggested that locks and security cameras on school campuses would "turn our schools into prisons." Nowadays, those precautions are called common sense.
Now then, the case for the other side:
Last week a teacher in northern California discharged a firearm during a public safety class. Why is still not clear. What is clear is that the reserve officer with the Sand City Police Department was teaching a lesson at Seaside High when he pulled his gun, pointed it at the ceiling and accidentally fired it. A 17-year-old was injured by either bullet fragments or debris that fell from the ceiling. Dispatches say the injuries were superficial.
The teacher/reserve officer was placed on administrative leave from the teaching job.
The reason this made the news is because it was man-bites-dog newsworthy: Who ever heard of a teacher pulling a gun, pointing it skyward and having the blasted thing go off? This is a rare occurrence.
If this becomes a problem--if there are more and more stories about accidental discharges by teachers--then something will have to be done about it. Call it crossing a bridge when we get to it.
But this nation already has a problem--with school shootings, carried out by people who are most definitely not teachers. And that's a problem that must be addressed now.
Hire cops. Train (some) teachers. Solve the problem that We the People confront.
And save our kids from the crazies. In 20 years, we suspicion this will be considered common sense, too.
Editorial on 03/24/2018