I have been racking my brain on how protect our children in school from gun violence. I don’t believe guns in school is a good answer. No matter who uses a gun proficient or not, projectiles are un-predictable and cannot be controlled once they have left the instrument.
I believe dogs are our answer. Dogs can be highly trained in weapon discovery and recovery. A dog may buy time in order for un suspecting victim to escape.
Yes a dog can be shot but, so can any armed individual.
Think about it what is a child going to do if he\she accidentally gets a hold of the school protector.
Clinton Carter
Tucson
truth posted at 4:35 pm on Wed, Jan 9, 2013.
Clinton, how will dogs work?, will dogs make the arrest or will they be backed-up by a person with a gun?
downtownresident posted at 7:12 pm on Wed, Jan 9, 2013.
I'd rather have a dog in my school than Joe Arpaio.
Masterrogue666 posted at 8:24 pm on Wed, Jan 9, 2013.
Interesting idea, but dogs are fallible too. It's something to consider.
sockratties posted at 8:56 pm on Wed, Jan 9, 2013.
Armed guards, armed faculty, trained dogs, metal detectors, pat down searches… you name it. These are all treatments for the epidemic. You don’t need a cure or stop-gap treatment if you prevent the illness.
The disease is an addiction to guns. It’s analogous to alcoholism. A few beers or a swig of whisky probably won’t hurt anyone but drunk drivers kill people and alcoholics destroy their lives and everyone around them. An addiction to guns at all costs is the root cause of the shooting problem regardless of justification, not because people shouldn’t have guns but because guns need to be controlled.
Guns properly used and in responsible hands are a good thing, useable for recreation and self defense. When society’s appetite for guns exceeds its ability to handle them we have the growing slaughter that is no longer an occasional incident. It has become the norm. There used to be an occasional nut-case that outraged everyone when he went on a shooting rampage. We now have multi-victim shootings that make major headlines but already this year we have had at least three shooting of law enforcement officers by civilians in what is being called a war on cops. It only makes the local news now!
The cops are armed, they do have dogs, they are trained, and they are being wounded and killed. The common factor is guns in the hands of the wrong people. We need to get control of the guns instead of letting the guns take control of us.
Rich posted at 10:04 pm on Wed, Jan 9, 2013.
My dog is a cairn terrier. Twelve pounds soaking wet. Let alone that he can lick you to death, what's he going to do? What are you advocating? People protectors? Mastiffs, Dobermans? People killers? Rottweilers? Dog Killers? Pit bulls? Do you want to breed a new dog to do it? We've bred dogs to do numerous tasks for us, maybe you can. Do it before you advocate it.
Arizona Willie posted at 7:53 am on Thu, Jan 10, 2013.
This Liberal says that the problem is not guns ... it's people.
Mentally ill people.
The courts prohibited locking people up who are mentally ill unless they consent.
That's crazy ( pun intended ).
Of course, taxpayers don't like paying for mental institutions ( but for some reason we are willing to pay for prisons ) to keep the mentally ill out of society and provide treatment for them.
Is it better paying for funerals for your kids / loved ones when another nut case goes on a shooting spree? Taking guns away won't stop the nut cases. They will do like they did in the old days -- use a sword or knife ... or a rock. Or even a car.
A mentally ill person could kill a lot of people will a car running up on the sidewalk into a crowd and then taking off and doing it over and over again before the police could catch up with him.
GUNS ARE NOT THE PROBLEM --- MENTAL ILLNESS IS THE PROBLEM.
People don't want to say that though, because doing something about it is like doing something about air pollution --- VERY EXPENSIVE.
So it is very likely that American society will determine that funerals ARE cheaper than fixing the problem of mentally ill people being allowed to walk the streets.
VofReason posted at 12:36 pm on Thu, Jan 10, 2013.
As hard as this is, "I agree with Az Willie". There I said it. There was a time in this country where doing something indicating mental illness in public would get you hauled in for evaluation. Now it gets you a reality TV show or 15 minutes of fame on YouTube. A question for the original author, wouldn't someone need to be there with the protection dog? What would that person do if someone came on campus and started shooting- point the dog at them? My dog would also like to chime in- whoof, whoof, pant pant, whoof......
Accuracy posted at 5:01 pm on Fri, Jan 11, 2013.
Arizona Willie’s foregone conclusion: “So it is very likely that American society will determine that funerals ARE cheaper than fixing the problem of mentally ill people being allowed to walk the streets.”
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A mental health bill was defeated in Connecticut last year, months before the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on December 14, 2012, that killed 27 people. State legislative Bill 452 was proposed February, 2012 in Connecticut "to enhance the care and treatment of persons with psychiatric disabilities in both inpatient and outpatient settings. But the bill was defeated in March, with opposition calling it outrageously discriminatory.
As the national discussion on mental health continues, the ACLU said mental health bills would "infringe on patients' privacy rights by expanding [the circle of] who can medicate individuals without their consent."
Without much doubt, the ACLU probably still feels that way about Adam Lanza.
Ateam1 posted at 6:15 pm on Fri, Jan 11, 2013.
downtown; I'd rather have Joe Arpaio then You!!!
sockratties posted at 9:43 am on Sat, Jan 12, 2013.
Ateam1... so you're saying you'd rather have Joe THEN downtown? Weird!
Ateam1 posted at 4:56 pm on Sun, Jan 13, 2013.
sock,You need to get a life. Talk about weird!
Abstract01 posted at 12:02 am on Tue, Jan 15, 2013.
Mr. Carter, I question your statement,
"No matter who uses a gun proficient or not, projectiles are un-predictable and cannot be controlled once they have left the instrument".
The projectiles are very predictable! They go in a nearly straight line until penetrating whatever barrier is in their path. I suspect that you refer to ricocheting bullets? That rarely happens except on TV shows. Bullets penetrate much more often than they deflect.
So it really does depend on the proficiency of the user.
I do like your idea of trained canine officers (accompanied by their human partners).
I also suggest that those who work as public relations officers (D.A.R.E., and other programs) could be assigned to two different campuses. They would make random visits during the day (when they are not conducting classes).
And I see nothing wrong with deputizing those teachers who are interested in these additional responsibilities.
kellymars22 posted at 5:54 am on Thu, Jan 17, 2013.
The dog could be shot because the dog can't shoot the madman first; however,the armed individual can. That is the whole point and purpose of arming individuals to guard and protect children in schools. As for the question regarding what a child is going to do if s/he accidentally gets a hold of the school protector I have to ask why all children aren't being trained in gun safety from the beginning of their lives? I grew up with guns in the house that I knew belonged to my father, that they were not to be touched -- period, I understood what guns could do, and I knew that I would be able to shoot and own guns when I was old enough and responsible enough to be trusted to always check if the gun was loaded, never to point a gun at anyone or to shoot unless I was positive no one was in front of me, etc. This was at age 10 or 11 and I was watched constantly, reminded constantly of safety rules, as well as being questioned about them -- for years. I am certain it was the same for pretty much all my fellow students and their fathers. We did not kill each other, teachers, or anyone nor did it cross our minds to. But, then we weren't put on SSRI drugs in preschool, either.