So the NRA makes a grieving nation wait a week to hear its big
gun-violence proposal, and it's...an armed police officer in every school.
What a non-starter. It's too kind to call it a joke. Insult is more appropriate.
Consider that with salary, benefits, equipment and training, each officer is about a $100,000 a-year expense.
Oh, I see. The NRA wants the Congress to appropriate the money.
Right - -
the Congress. Do they read the papers over there at NRA Central?
The
Congress - - that the Right is always accusing of spending other
people's money?
Milwaukee Public Schools has more than 200 schools in its system, so
you tell me: where are all those fresh millions of dollars a year coming
from?
Or does the NRA want to take 200+ beat cops - - about 10% of the
force - - off the streets in Milwaukee - - with similar ratios repeated
in every municipality in America - - and out of their cruisers to sit
in school offices all day, Monday-Friday, and, I assume, in the evenings
on overtime when the schools are open for conferences, sports, science
fairs and the like.
That's an expensive and wasteful system and 'solution" the NRA wants us taxpayers to pay for.
Here are my thoughts, as noted at other sites over the last couple of days:
ReplyDelete"There are approximately 100,000 public schools in the U.S. (http://nces.ed.gov/FastFacts/display.asp?id=84). How much do you think, on average, it would cost to provide full time armed security. The large ones would require multiple guards, as would those that have after school activities. Let's assume an average of 2 guards per school. How much would the guards make? Can't have minimum wage rent-a-cops protecting our kids, right? How about the U.S. median income, $51G? Bennies doubles that, but let's just say $100G. Don't forget ongoing training, equipment, administrative costs to coordinate the whole thing. I'd guess $250G per year per school would be a fair estimate to cover the whole shebang. Or $25,000,000,000.00 -- yes, twenty-five billion -- to secure every public school in the U.S.. "
"Total sales for the gun industry were just shy of $12B last year (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/12/19/seven-facts-about-the-u-s-gun-industry/) with profits of about $1B. You'd have to tax guns and ammunition more aggressively than cigarettes if you'd want to fund the NRA proposal off the fruits of the gun tree."
The NRA is offering volunteers and training to actually, physically protect children in schools. Those schools which decide not to accept this offer are making a decision which may lead to more shootings. The NRA proposal does not require schools to hire more people, if there are teachers or staff interested in taking their training and carrying firearms as part of their normal duties, that would be ideal. If there is no one in the school willing to act as an armed deterrent to the murder of school children, then the NRA will look for and certify citizen volunteers. This sounds like a plan that will work and can be implemented as soon as next week. While the anti gun nuts are obsessed with restricting the rights of responsible citizens, the NRA is interesting in actually stepping up and protecting the lives of children.
ReplyDeleteOr, consider that an armed presence wouldn't necessarily do anything to stop the killings.
ReplyDeleteWrites Dashiell Bennett at The Atlantic Wire:
Mother Jones has made a persuasive case that arming civilians does little to stop mass shooters, and even cops can't stop every shooting. Columbine High School had an armed security officer on campus at the time of the 1999 shooting that killed 13 people. He even exchanged gunfire with one of the killers. Neither one of them was hit.
I think you need to add in daycares, both group sites and family child care sites. Now there's a jobs program that even Walker can understand. (
ReplyDeleteThe NRA has become such a fringe, partisan and unhinged organization that it is incapable of playing a constructive role in any discussion of gun violence. Most gun owners don't even belong to the organization and aren't truly represented by what is functionally a lobby shop for the arms manufacturing industry.
ReplyDeleteIt's sole function is to enhance the market for gun sales by stimulating demand.
Who is going to pay for the background checks for all the volunteers? What happens if someone calls in sick? Will Wayne help support staff ensure there is 24 he protection? Someone could easily breakin at night and just wait it out.
ReplyDeleteBetter question, who is going to underwrite the insurance for each of the nra's volunteers at each of 100,000 schools? Let me guess...the socialist government that wants to take away your guns? Am I right?
Jim, you've had an uptick in comments.
"The NRA is offering volunteers and training to actually, physically protect children in schools."
ReplyDeleteHa ha. "Volunteers" like who? George Zimmerman?
These volunteers will be comprised mainly of bigots, gun nuts, pedophiles and other assorted weirdos.
The founding fathers recognized the need for an armed citizenry to protect the country from others who would do us harm. The formation of gun free zones, in violation of those rights specified in the bill of rights, has created and announced specific areas where criminals are assured that there will be no firearms present to oppose whatever mayhem they wish to cause. Sadly, there are not enough citizens serious about protecting the community enough to carry firearms and be prepared to use them. The NRA has now taken the lead role in the protection of children which the liberals have abandoned. If you wish to protect children, do not waste your time talking, writing, or making laws; buy a gun, learn to use it and carry it with you and be prepared to have to use it. If you are a teacher and are not carrying a gun with you in the classroom, you are not adequately protecting those children in your care, as evidenced by the failure to protect children in Connecticut.
ReplyDelete