Probably the most terrifying news for a parent is of a shooting at their child’s school. Is there any way to prevent the ever-increasing shootings at U.S. schools?
Wait a minute: we haven’t had a school shooting in a few months. Also, law enforcement officers agree that there is no possible universal operation that could stop ALL such shootings. Every school in every town and city would be forced to spend massive amounts of taxpayer dollars trying to do so, but still would not be able to stop them all.
Seriously? Aren’t we the nation of the airplane, electricity, air conditioning, Tesla, basketball, and Kentucky Fried Chicken?
It’s time for us to get to work and achieve results to stop not just the shootings themselves, but the fear and constant anticipation of another one of those school tragedies.
More than 25 years after two students used high-powered rifles to take the lives of 12 classmates and one teacher before killing themselves at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, school shootings in the United States show no signs of slowing down – conversely, they seem to be getting deadlier. In 2007, Columbine was dethroned as the deadliest school shooting when 32 people were fatally shot by a university student at Virginia Tech, one of many prior perpetrators influenced by the Littleton massacre. The prevalence of armed attacks at American educational institutions points to a potentially systemic problem; between 2009 and 2018, the United States recorded 57 times as many school shootings compared to other high-income nations and as of 2019, it became the only major industrialized country in which firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teens.
In recent years, school shootings surpassed their highest recorded levels, although figures may differ depending upon the source. Since there is no federal database – or definition – for school shootings, data is compiled by independent sources using varying factors to determine what constitutes a school shooting. According to the K-12 School Shooting Database, there were 332 school shootings, defined as every time a gun is brandished, fired, or a bullet hits school property, regardless of the time, day, reason, or number of victims (including zero), in 2024. Since 1966, school shootings transpired most often at the time of morning classes, a time which also accounts for the most casualties. However, not all incidents were located in the classroom; the highest victim count was recorded by shootings taking place in school parking lots, followed by hallways and at the front of school buildings.
Barriers
It would be wonderful if someone could wave the magic wand and make all such shooting incidents stop, or wave into existence a safety wall around every school to keep armed intruders out. That wand doesn’t exist.
There are many options for addressing this dilemma. Politically, however, as much ranting and raving about gun control as we see immediately following every school tragedy, NOTHING can be done regarding guns. The 2nd Amendment of the Constitution protects the rights of Americans to own guns. The U.S. Supreme Court, in numerous cases brought by individuals, states, and non-profits over the years, has repeatedly affirmed the right of U.S. citizens to own and bear arms. The ONLY way gun ownership could ever be made illegal would be with a Constitutional Amendment to do away with that provision of the 2nd Amendment. Such an amendment will NEVER be approved by the American public.
Anyway, guns are NOT the problem: the people who use them to shoot others and their ability to do so with very few — if any — barriers against their access to the easy “soft” school targets are the problem. Sadly, successfully addressing people’s issues in this matter is not easy. But that task is well worth the effort and expense to ultimately achieve a successful security environment for students, teachers, and administrators at every school — private or public — within U.S. borders.
Even though since 1999, deaths on school campuses in America total “only” 98, losing 98 children — even just ONE child — teachers, and administrators in senseless gun violence is unacceptable. Political posturing by D.C. lawmakers has never accomplished anything in the way of solving school shooting problems. But they still turn into showmen as did Connecticut Senator Murphy (D-Ct) on the Senate floor yesterday when he said, “Turn on your television right now. You’re going to see scenes of children running for their lives,” said Murphy, who dealt with the Newtown massacre firsthand. “What looks to be the 19th school shooting in this country, and we have not even hit March. Let me note once again for my colleagues: This happens nowhere else but in the United States of America. This epidemic of mass slaughter. This scourge of school shooting after school shooting. It only happens here, not because of coincidence, not because of bad luck, but as a consequence of our inaction. We are responsible for a level of mass atrocity that happens in this country with zero parallel anywhere else.”
What are the barriers to fixing this problem?
Overcoming political hurdles. America must accept the fact that guns are here and will stay. Politicians need to stop the political posturing and begin developing and implementing plans for fixing this problem. Congressional narratives like that of Senator Murphy yesterday do nothing but illustrate the continual failure of not just Congress, but ALL elected leaders in the U.S., including those at the state and local levels. How do we overcome those political hurdles? Demand and accept nothing less from elected officials than positive results.
Find real and possible solutions, debate them, develop plans based on the best of them, and implement those plans. Gee, that’s a novel idea! Rather than follow a centuries-old proven method of fixing a problem, we just sit around complaining about the problem. Good old American ingenuity needs to kick in and take over this process. Why hasn’t that already happened? Because not enough of the correct and capable Americans who could do so care enough TO do so.
It’s time to quit talking about school shootings happening in multiple places with multiple results, of which are NEVER good. Why haven’t authorities at every political level unified to take measures to do so? And don’t even think of seizing legal guns from Americans. Doing so is unconstitutional and will NEVER happen. Wouldn’t one think of researching countries around the Globe that may have successfully found a way to do so?
What are possible fixes that could be used in our schools to stop these senseless killings? Copying is the highest form of flattery. The United States is not the only free country on Earth, and certainly not the only country to ever face problems with gun killings. And there are free countries whose citizens have done exactly what Americans are today crying for to stop any more of these.
Let’s assume we together agree to fight through these barriers and together find, debate, refine, and revise a process to successfully stop school shootings.
Why don’t we just look around, find a plan that already works, and make it work here? Duh……
Israel
Here’s the perfect example of how to control school gun violence. The Israeli’s — not as politicians or police or individuals — as a nation of people who unify for the cause of protecting school children, have virtually eliminated instances of school gun violence. Why not take a close look at their methods, send U.S. experts to Israel to investigate them, analyze the causes and effects of their processes, identify which parts would work in the U.S., bring them home, and implement them in U.S. schools?
Israeli School Process for Elimination of Gun Violence
There is a military service requirement for all Israeli young people — men and women. Those with physical impairments and those with religious objections to military service are exempt. All others serve a stint in the military. They therefore have intense firearm training that follows them after leaving the military. This does NOT mean they own or handle guns. It means they KNOW how to use guns in the proper circumstances. They to own a gun must receive government approval to do so and only with a reasonable reason for having that gun.
School buildings are extremely secure. They are all fenced — some with extremely tall fences to prohibit bombs from being tossed over into a school facility. (Remember: Israel is bordered on all sides by the ocean and countries with terrorist elements whose constituents do not like Israel and occasionally conduct terrorist acts against Israel)
Almost all schools do not provide school buses, as in the U.S. Students use public transportation—primarily commercial buses—staffed by armed guards who are hired and trained in self-defense and in responding to a shooter or shooters. Each school has a guarded entry gate. All those who enter are stopped and questioned by a professional armed guard. Those entering must have valid identification, a verifiable reason or appointment to enter school grounds, and must be accompanied at all times when on school property.
Emergency incident response plans for all types of emergencies are devised, implemented, and practiced at scheduled intervals. They include all personnel and students who are regularly on school property. Every type of catastrophe is planned for.
Some teachers and administrators are armed. Their being armed is visible so that all know who is armed. All teachers participate in a firearms training and self-defense class, but they are not required to carry a weapon. Doing so is voluntary.
Guards are not all armed. But those who are answerable to either local police or military authorities, specifically handling Israeli school security.
How successful is Israel’s School Security at stopping School Shootings?
In 1974, Israel endured the Ma’alot Massacre in which “Palestinian” terrorists took 115 people hostage at Netiv Meir Elementary School. Twenty-two children and three others were killed, and 68 were injured. After that tragedy, Israel implemented the school protection plan detailed above. Since 1974, there have been two incidents. Both were initiated by terrorists. Only 4 deaths occurred — of students. More than 20 terrorists were killed during those incidents — all but two of those came at the hands of armed school guards, administrators, and even a couple of students. Such a plan works in Israel.
Could this or a Similar Plan Work in the U.S.?
There is only ONE way any plan for school security here will work: ANY plan must be highly investigated, structured at the “10,000 foot level” by federal authorities so as to assure sufficient laws and/or regulations are put in place to support and manage such a process, and implemented on the local level with cooperation from federal, state, and local authorities. And the general public will obviously have to sign off on its implementation.
That said, as in Israel, variations will be necessary based on the nuances of each school’s unique challenges. Factors such as exact location, facility structure, access, layout, and proximity to interstate highways, waterways, law enforcement headquarters, and medical facilities must be considered when planning and implementing this program locally.
The U.S. Justice Department would necessarily take the lead in such a program, but it would be imperative for local law enforcement to assume and maintain every aspect of the program in conjunction with the Feds.
Cost
No doubt such a program on a national level would be costly. But how much money is spent to stop such incidents? Honestly, when considering the cost of trying to implement and maintain some type of gun control in the U.S., even if legal and possible, it would cost tens of billions of dollars and would never be successful. (Google Australia’s program for this, and you’ll see it doesn’t work at all)
Summary
Washington: It is time to stop the pontificating in front of the House and Senate, in press conferences, and on television talk shows. It is time for action. Some member of Congress needs to offer up a specific plan structured similarly to that in Israel to allow America to take control of the security environment of its schools. Stop making gun control a liberal cause; that is correct, simply because it sounds important and good. Stop making efforts to stop school gun violence, an anti-gun political policy. Politicians from all parties need to come together for a change and put a plan for all of America in place to eliminate these tragic killings at U.S. schools.
Washington: Do you REALLY care about gun violence in America? Do you REALLY care about kids getting shot at school? If you REALLY care, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT INSTEAD OF TALKING ABOUT DOING SOMETHING.
Give Americans a plan and implement that plan to stop these killings. Do something — or resign your office to allow someone who WILL do something to take your place.
Do Something NOW. Doing nothing or waiting is Unacceptable!
