We could prevent almost 100% of “school shootings” if each school had protective fencing with one main gate or entrance, on the perimeter of the actual campus or school, which was monitored by security personnel along with metal detectors.
It’s as simple as that.
All we need to do is pass a “safe school” spending bill to get the ball rolling, and within a year or so we will have addressed the immediate issue.
At the same time, we can work on changing how we do background checks when purchasing a weapon or ammunition. Our checks need to be more extensive and more comprehensive. Social media should be checked and the community where the purchaser lives should be canvassed for input as to whether anyone has objections to this individual owning a weapon.
Access to mental health resources has to be greatly enhanced as well. When people are experiencing issues or are aware of others with issues, assistance needs to be available right then, not a month or two, or three, down the road when a psychiatrist’s or a psychologist’s schedule has an opening. Mental health, in general, has to be just as much of a consideration as physical health. In too many cases the insurance companies are dictating the type of help we can get and when. This has to change.
Then finally, the President should establish a component agency that would fall under The Department of Homeland Security and deal solely with the issues that affect school security.
I see that arming and training our teachers is being advanced by quite a few people. This may seem like a good idea to deter an intruder, but what about when the shooter is a student at the school (which is the case is most situations)? Do we want that image of teachers gunning down students in school? Do we want our schools to become “the shootout at the O.K. Corral, or do we want to avoid that situation from occurring in the first place?
Enhancing our background checking system is something that must be done, but also something that can’t be counted on as our last line of defense either. In the case of the Parkland, Florida shooter, there were more red flags raised on this kid than you’d see at a Chinese military parade! I mean, it doesn’t get any better than this case as far as warning signs, and he still was not stopped.
There are many other ideas that have merit as well, and there’s no reason we can’t attack this problem from a hundred different angles at the same time. But, again…
We could prevent almost 100% of “school shootings” if each school had protective fencing with one main gate or entrance, on the perimeter of the actual campus or school, which was monitored by security personnel along with metal detectors.
It’s as simple as that.
Mr. Erickson Rules! 
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