It has been nearly four months since the attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Within minutes of that attack the political left called for immediate action, including a ban on AR-15s, a ban on bump stocks (which were not used by the Parkland killer, or any other school killer), and raising the age to buy any long gun from 18 to 21 years old.
A tiny but vocal group of children from Parkland, aided by a sympathetic mainstream media and billionaire-funded gun control groups, insisted these measures were necessary to end school shootings.
It did not take long for the Florida legislature and the state’s Republican Governor, Rick Scott, to enact and sign a bill that, except for banning the AR-15, prohibits bump stocks and raises the age limit to buy any long gun from 18 to 21 years old in that state.
It is important to note that the same children who called for stringent new controls on gun ownership also fought vigorously against provisions to arm a select group of volunteer staff and vehemently opposed additional security measures including clear backpacks. They suggested such backpacks were a violation of their right to privacy.
A few short months later, residents in Santa Fe, Texas, learned that the knee-jerk gun control provisions enacted in Florida would have done absolutely nothing to stop the subsequent attack in their town, or any other town, for that matter. While the bill Scott signed into law relieved intense political and media pressure and provided the gun control groups with a victory, it did not actually accomplished its ubiquitous intent–to stop another school shooting.
As both a gun rights activist and an American, I want this phenomenon to end, and as a father, it is personal for me. Less than two weeks ago, I attended my son’s middle school award ceremony at 10 am. Forced to park further away from the main entrance than usual due to the school function, my wife and I walked up to a side door leading to hallway just steps away from the cafeteria. To our surprise, we were able to walk right in, unopposed by any school security or staff. I stood and held the door for about a half-dozen other people as they made their way to the ceremony down the hall. While it was indeed convenient, it was also frightening. We should never have been able to open that door.
As the left continues posturing itself to exploit the mass murder of children and use it as a tool to further erode our freedoms, those of us who care about fixing the problem must focus on doing just that. While no human being is capable of stopping the evil in another man’s heart, we are capable of making it difficult or impossible for them to act. When it comes to our schools, a multi-pronged approach is necessary. It can be accomplished by reducing the entrances and staggering the arrival times. After classes have begun, have one staffed, locked entry, and require identification to pass through that entry. The person working that entry should be armed.
Additionally, a massive national PR campaign publicizing the fact that every school in America will no longer be an easy target and make clear that any attempt to harm a child on campus will meet deadly force. Of course, using deadly force requires deadly force to be present at the school, be it armed staff or armed paid security.
While some simple tactical changes will make it harder for the next super-killer to unleash hell in another American school, the underlying cause must still be addressed. No doubt it will be the biggest challenge of all for it requires the kids currently screaming for controls on our constitutional rights to ask why mass killers are arising among their generation.
The fact of the matter is, they are killing themselves.
Mark Walters is the host of Armed American Radio and a guest columnist for “Down Range with AWR Hawkins.”
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