It's been a week since the horrible shooting in Florida. There have been many suggestions on how to prevent another. Yes, we should look ahead and look into ways to prevent another.
But, we need to look back, what signs were missed and many factors are to blame. First, part of the problem is the design of the school. Many, many years ago when I went to school, schools did not sprawl out, they were built up. We had heavy brass doors, there were no students on the first floor, an intruder would have trouble entering the school, if he did get in, he would have been stopped before going any further.
We've all heard how the FBI and police failed to follow up on calls. I hadn't realized that the weapon used could be purchased by an 18 year old, but that same child couldn't buy a handgun. The right to purchase a gun should not be on a sliding scale - one age for one type, another for another type and that age should be 21 for all.
There have been many suggestions made to ensure our children are safe - arm teachers, armed security guards, better background checks, etc. Very few people have suggested metal detectors. Of the suggestions, I think metal detectors are the best solution. I know, it is sad to think that our children have to go through them just to get to class, I did too at one time. Several years ago I was doing some volunteer work through my church in Queens with teenagers. The topic of metal detectors came up and I said that I thought it was so sad. All four of the boys in the group said that they were glad they were there, it made them feel safer.
Right now, everyone is angry. No decision should be made in anger. Maybe in the meantime, we should cool down and look at all the alternatives before any decisions are made. Maybe we should emphasize and encourage more respect for life.
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