Unspeakable

Yesterday a gunman entered Sandy Hook Elementary School and slaughtered 26 people (20 of them kindergarteners). It was a scene of unspeakable carnage. As an elementary teacher myself, this shakes me to the core and touches the very fiber of my being. I've already had people ask about school security by saying, "How could this happen?". "Don't schools have security measures in place?" I can tell you at my school the doors are locked at all times. Staff members have electronic key cards to enter the school. Everybody else must buzz in. They push a button and the school secretary must electronically unlock the door. BTW--- the secretary can see these people on a video monitor and she can also see them directly if she turns around in her chair. Once inside these people must go directly to the office (which is only about 20 feet away), state their business and receive a visitor's ID badge. Once that process is complete, these people have access to the classrooms and the rest of the school building. It seems like a good system, but what's to prevent the following from happening?:

A bad guy approaches the school with guns hidden in his coat. He presses the button and the door is unlocked by the secretary. Instead of going to the office he walks into the nearest classroom (Less than 50 feet away) and opens fire. With our open classroom design (no classroom doors or walls), there is absolutely nothing to impede his access to hundreds of children and countless staff members in less than 5 seconds. Hearing gunshots, the secretary calls police (assuming he didn't go to the office and shoot her first). I'm not sure of how much time it would take the police to arrive. Let's just say 2-3 minutes (it is a small town after all). In those 2-3 minutes there is no telling how many people a bad guy could mow down.

What's the answer to the scenario? Metal detectors? Pat downs upon entering the building? Security guards? Well, I'm not sure there is an answer. My school does what it deems necessary to keep our students and staff safe and secure. But it's obviously not perfect. I only pray my school never has to deal with something like this first hand. I think it's important to note my school also conducts "Shelter in Place Lock Down Drills". To put it simply: we turn off the lights and the kids hide under their desks. With no classroom doors to close and lock, the best we can do is limit the visibility of targets.

In another vein, some may want to argue for gun control. Their case being: Don't let the bad guys have guns and they can't shoot 20 kindergarteners. I'm sorry folks, but this is ridiculous. If our government enacts strict gun control laws, the only people who won't have guns are the law abiding citizens who would never do something like shoot up a movie theater or a school. If guns are illegal to possess, the bad guys are going to get their hands on them anyway. Do you think thugs on the street are going to conduct background checks before selling a gun to another thug? Look at drugs... they're illegal, right? In this country it's illegal to possess cocaine, heroin, meth amphetamines and countless other drugs, right? We have very strict laws about the trafficking, selling, purchasing and possession of drugs, right? So why is it you can go anywhere in America and get any drug you want? Gun control laws are not the answer. It sounds good on the surface and looks good on paper, but the fact remains... if someone wants to kill a bunch of people, they are going to do it regardless of what laws are in place.

Sorry about perching myself atop the soapbox today. I'm feeling very emotional about yesterday's events. They hit very, very close to home. Please join me in praying for the people in Newtown, Connecticut. Their lives have been altered forever.