On February 14th an active shooter committed a mass attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Following that event, there were cries for greater gun control, banning a wide variety of weapons and more. The event became immediately politicized just as, it seems, all mass attacks do. In this case there was something different done as well, but I’ll get to that in a moment.
Just a few days ago, at the Great Mills High School in Great Mills, Maryland, a student brought a gun to school, shot two students and then was neutralized by the School Resource Officer (SRO). A new cry for gun control went out, once again demanding laws against or the banning of a wide variety of weapons. “We have to make our schools safe!” was the public cry. It is absolutely correct. How to go about doing that quickly becomes a discussion mired in politics, emotional arguments, etc.
Now I’d like to look at the differences between the two events and some reactions that are… problematic… and hilarious at the same time (forgive me; I know humor doesn’t have a place here, but when Karma intervenes in a positive fashion, I can’t help myself).
One of the primary differences between the two events is the number of casualties. I don’t just mean the number killed, but the number injured by gunfire as well. At MSD High School in Florida the overall number was reported as 34; 17 killed and 17 wounded. At GM High School in Maryland, the number was… 2. I delayed there not to downplay the size of the number because ONE is too many, but two… as compared to 34.
That brings me to the second difference: at MSD in Florida the SRO reportedly waited outside and did nothing as the killing occurred, in direct violation of his duty, humanity, morality, ethics and more. At GM in Maryland, the SRO is reported to have SPRINTED to the sound of shots and immediately engaged the shooter. Did his actions directly impact the number of casualties? We’ll never know. The shooter didn’t survive so we have no way of being sure of his motives or intentions.
Every officer who ran toward the sound of shots, doing all they could to save lives in Florida should be commended. Those who stood around, waited… whatever: I hope they can live with themselves and the reality of their cowardice. The SRO in Great Mills, Maryland will get a beer and cigar on me any and every time I ever see him out socially. He demonstrated the kind of commitment to duty that every law enforcement professional SHOULD have. Thank you for being the example Deputy First Class Blaine Gaskill.
This brings me to a couple of reactions. As I mentioned, both shootings resulted in calls for gun control. In Great Mills, it was less than three hours later that a congressman and a senator were at the press briefing area, talking to any camera that would listen about the need for more gun laws, better background checks, etc. EVERYONE present, facing the reality of another two students shot, was in agreement that SOMETHING needed to be done. What that SOMETHING is isn’t agreed upon.
Just days after the shooting in Maryland, the next county over – Calvert County – school board met to discuss school safety. There was a motion made to arm the Safety Advocates in each school. Those Safety Advocates are, the majority of them anyway, retired law enforcement officers. They’ve carried a gun daily as part of their duties before retiring and many of them carry a gun when they’re not at work now. Their employment prohibits them from carrying a gun because of school policy. The School Board voted down this measure. They apparently feel that having an armed responsible trained individual on scene won’t do any good or is somehow detrimental. They seem to have missed the reality of events just a few days ago at Great Mills High School where… wait for it… an armed responsible trained individual neutralized a gunman. Wouldn’t you think we’d want more of those in our schools?
Apparently not. Roughly ten years ago (2006 I think), I was a member of the School Board’s Citizens Advisory Committee and it was brought to my attention that our local Sheriff’s office had received federal funding to put a deputy in every school in the county; not just the high schools mind you, but EVERY school in the county. Even back then the School Board voted against having such. The reasons given were (as I remember): 1) the presence of a gun in any school presents an unnecessary threat to the students, and 2) who the deputy answered to was problematic. Since he answered to the Sheriff but worked in the school, the School Board wanted some assurance that his chain of command would be the School’s Principal ABOVE the Sheriff’s authority. Well…. Just no.
That is one reaction. A School Board that has an obvious, proven, viable and affordable solution to potentially minimize casualties due to an active shooter event and they choose instead to NOT take any such action but to leave the lives of school children at the same level of risk that exists today. I’m sure their decision has something to do with what some lawyer deemed “court defensible,” but the end result is that they’re doing nothing to increase the safety of school children. And they’re doing it consciously, intentionally, with a purpose. What purpose? I have no idea.
Another reaction is being reported all over the news this morning (3/23/18) is that down in Parkland, Florida at MSD High School, the students are now going to be required to use clear plastic backpacks and to wear school IDs at all times. The students… the same ones who were screaming to have new gun laws created restricting rights or removing freedoms… are now livid that “their rights” are being violated because they’ll have no privacy carrying their stuff in clear plastic backpacks. My response? Be careful what you wish for; you just may get it.
Yes, folks. That’s Karma. While the violence in our schools is no laughing matter and we should all mourn the lost, pray for the survivors and be thankful for our public safety professionals who do their jobs properly, the fact that politicians used students as pawns and now those same students are seeing the reality of playing politics as they get their own perceived rights and freedoms infringed is… karma.
What this all boils down to is as the title of this entry suggests: who do you trust? Do you trust your law enforcement professionals to act properly? Do you trust your teachers and staff to act properly? (You do every day you send your kids to school even though you might not think about it.) Do you trust your students to act properly? Do you trust your politicians to act properly?
Of that list, I would trust my local law enforcement professionals, and then the teachers and then the students and then the politicians. Isn’t that a sad reality? What order do you put them in?
