With the latest school shooting the outcry to do something has come forward again. It's always the same. "We have to do something!" Politicians come out and blame everything but the shooter. Some blame guns. Some blame the NRA. Some blame the Republicans. Rather than deal with the situation itself, rather than blame the shooter they search for another reason.
The first is we need to stop looking for a boogeyman other than the perpetrator. When someone says something like the Republicans and the NRA are responsible for the deaths of these children it not only is a blatant lie but a comment that just closes the doors to conversation in search of a solution. So let's stop with the political posturing, toss politics out the door and focus on the solution okay?
So here are, in my opinion, some things that need to happen.
The media needs to change it's focus. Abandon the concept that if it bleeds it leads because this is the blood of our children and you should never profit from that. Report what happens and stop making the shooter the hero of the story. Stop sharing his name and picture 24/7. Research has shown that these sick individuals read about that, emulate it, collect clippings about other shooters and alter their methods based on fact provided to them by a willing press. The same press who acts outraged afterwards.
We have a system of "see something, say something". That works fine as long as law enforcement then follows up with "do something". If someone notes something and reports it, follow up. If it continues then do something about it. If you can't legally do something then talk to legislatures about changing the laws so something can be done. At the same time we have to realize that there are only so many law enforcement members out there. We need more and they need funded. Let's make sure that happens.
Teens in locations like farms and more will be using guns on their property. But weapons like (not limited to) the AR-15 should be illegal for people under 21. If they can't drink a beer they should be armed with this. This allows for hunting for sport, for target practice and for killing predators on their property while younger.
Times have changed. We need professional security in our schools. Well trained people. There are plenty of veterans who return home who are looking for work. Wouldn't it be nice to have some of them inside a school protecting our children? The response time for most police calls averages between 3 and 5 minutes. How many lives could be saved by someone on site?
Teachers who are interested in learning how to be armed and deal with these situations should be encouraged to do so. Secure lock boxes with a weapon in their classroom would provide a weapon only the teacher would have access to if their was a need. Make it accessible only by fingerprint or retina scan if you are worried about anyone getting into it. But several times a teacher with a weapon has stopped a shooting from becoming a mass one.
There should be no soft target locations. By making them soft targets it opens the doors for those who don't abide by the law and convert them into kill zones. Maybe you feel safer that someone isn't carrying a gun in a theater with you. Then again a shooter knows that so he realizes he has a room full of targets with no opposition. Those who qualify, who are licensed for conceal carry and who have been trained should be allowed.
We need a central database in this country for data on felons and mentally unstable individuals that can be accessed by law enforcement. When someone goes to purchase a gun that database could be accessed. And by mentally unstable let's get a well thought out definition. Someone who has another person help them with their finances doesn't mean they shouldn't be allowed to defend themselves.
If an algorithm can be developed to track my every move on the internet, suggesting items I might want to purchase at every web site I go to based on what I've viewed then why can't one be developed to track potential threats like this one? How does amazon know I like a particular kind of movie yet the FBI can't find out who posted a comment on Youtube. Maybe that's something silicon valley could be working on rather than the next generation of games made for children that shows heads blow apart in a blood mist.
We need to address mental illness in this country. Do not make that a political or civil rights issue. A person in need of help should get help. If the warning signs are there and ignored they do us no good. Rather than spend government dollars on things like determining why ketchup comes out of the bottle so slow (yes that was an actual project funded by our government) use that money for mental health centers. It would eliminate a number of potential shooters as well as help with the homeless problem in some instances.
Lastly while these items are all things that we as a society can request we must all also take some responsibilities ourselves. Parents need to be involved in their kids lives more than just taking them from one activity to another. Families need to sit down and talk at dinner rather than turn on the TV. Parents should know which games their kids are playing and what's in those games. The shows they watch should be monitored as well. A 10 year old has no business watching GAME OF THRONES unsupervised even if you enjoy it. It's too easy to say you love your kids and worry about them after a tragedy like this. You should do it daily not just in words but in actions. If they misbehave it is your job to correct that behavior. If they act out it is your job to punish them. If they do bad in school it is your job to encourage them and try to help them or get them additional help. And if the other parents aren't doing that set their kids straight too when they're in your home. My mom once gave me hell for a bad grade while my friends sat around the kitchen table and listened. When she was done with me she laid into each of them. Fortunately most had done okay. LOL. But she, as well as the rest of my friend's moms, took an interest in each of us.
I know, long winded as usual. LOL. But this is not an issue that will be solved by slogans, by people thinking the only solution is to ban ALL guns or by politicians looking to score points with their constituents. Some of these solutions are ones I've thought of, some I heard others state. But simply saying "something has to be done" proves to me you're an idiot. Come up with a solution, pursue seeing it happen or sit down and shut up. Otherwise you're just part of the problem.
