Reading, Writing and Riot Gear

In response to the sickening wave of mass killings in schools, some have proposed “hardening” schools as a means of preventing such tragedies in the future. That idea is supported by former president Trump, the National Rifle Association (NRA), Senators Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham, Congressman Steve Scalise, Congresswomen Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert, Sarah Palin and a host of other, mostly right-wing, gun advocates.

All you need to do is look at those pedigrees to know that hardening schools is a crackpot idea.

By “hardening” schools these folks mean building fences around school perimeters, installing barriers and checkpoints, adding bullet-proof windows and self-locking bullet-proof doors, hiring armed security officers and training and arming teachers and staff.

Sounds like the stress-free, nurturing environment we all want for our kids, doesn’t it?

Beyond that it won’t work.

Keeping and bearing arms by the American populace hasn’t stopped mass murder in this country in schools or anywhere else. The 2018 Small Arms Survey counted 393 million legal guns owned by US residents, and who knows how many other illegal guns are in gun racks, glove compartments or bedroom drawers of Americans. None of those guns seem to be handy or around when some sick, depressed, angry, or simply evil person decides to load his weapon and aim it at innocent strangers and children.

It’s also too much to expect that a security officer or teacher with a handgun will successfully thwart a motivated madman with an AR-15. It’s a mismatch and the officers know that. The Parkland security officer did not engage his shooter, the Tops supermarket officer was killed after his shots bounced off his killer’s body armor, and the Uvalde police and Swat Teams where all dressed up with no place to go until one brave group, against orders, stormed the classroom and ended the massacre.

Ask any teacher and they will tell you they can’t even handle unruly students in their classrooms. Can you really expect a home economics teacher with a Glock 9mm or a science teacher with a sidearm to risk life and family by taking on a shooter unless that teacher is cornered in their classroom and has no other choice?

Guns for good guys are only the tip of the iceberg. It won’t take long before schools will also demand body armor and radios for the staff, just like police have done. It’s not hard to imagine that one day surplus US Army Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) will replace school busses as soon as the camouflage has been painted over in yellow

And there’s also the expense.

All that construction and manpower costs big bucks. Schools are already hard-pressed for money and taxpayers who don’t have kids in school already complain about costs. Teacher salaries, schoolbooks, supplies and courses like art, music, history and language will take a hit, as will extra-curricular activities and sports (with the possible exception of football in some locales.)

Lastly, since it was written in 1907, kids have been singing the classic tune School Days at the start of every school year. They may still do so, but with new lyrics, like this:

“School Days, school days,

Now we have new rule days

Please duck and cover

And lock the door

Instead of a nurse

We’ve a coroner

Our teacher is wearing

combat gear

She is well-armed

But we’re still in fear

I hope I can make it

Until next year

They tell me that 4th Grade is fun!”