# The NRA's response to Sandy Hook - An armed policemen in every. single. school. in the US. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 21, 2012, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nras-response-to-sandy-hook-an-armed-policemen-in-every-single-school-in-the-us/644754 "2012-12-21T16:44:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Enkel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/df705f/32.png) [@Enkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enkel)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nras-response-to-sandy-hook-an-armed-policemen-in-every-single-school-in-the-us/644754/21 "2012-12-21T17:29:08Z")
From the HuffPo article (emphasis mine): > [@](#): > > LaPierre announced that former Rep. Asa Hutchison, R-Ark., will lead an NRA program that will develop a model security plan for schools that relies on **armed volunteers**. Wow… now, they’re going to look for people to volunteer to patrol the school with weapons. Nothing could possibly go wrong there… ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nras-response-to-sandy-hook-an-armed-policemen-in-every-single-school-in-the-us/644754/22 "2012-12-21T17:29:44Z")
I think that is a excellent suggestion, but instead of a actual policeman, I’d make it a State licensed armed guard. This means it’d be a LOT cheaper, adding less than $100k to the budget. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nras-response-to-sandy-hook-an-armed-policemen-in-every-single-school-in-the-us/644754/23 "2012-12-21T17:30:10Z")
We had them in my school, too, and we’re out here in the boonies. It’s not unreasonable as long as the cop retains a low profile and remains amicable. The only thing that is unreasonable is having them act like military guards. That would just make people feel unsafe. It shouldn’t be an additional expense, for school system anyways. It should be part of the police budget. It is here. Granted, I’m not sure we have cops at every campus at all times, and not just them moving back and forth, but it wouldn’t take much to go further. People are perfectly willing to increase the sales tax by a quarter percent for things like this, too, which should be more than enough. “Think of the children” always works for this sort of stuff. And, yes, it won’t prevent all types of shootings. But that’s not the goal. The goal is to make things better. The response time here was absolutely horrible. The cop has the advantage that the shooter won’t know where he is, and, seeing as he’ll be seen on the hall cameras, the cop can be alerted before he sees the shooter. I can’t imagine that my podunk town has hall cameras since 1999 and others don’t. Maybe some really small schools, like the ones that had to be consolidated. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nras-response-to-sandy-hook-an-armed-policemen-in-every-single-school-in-the-us/644754/24 "2012-12-21T17:32:43Z")
I think the NRA’s position is being unfairly misconstrued in this thread. After all, they also want to sacrifice the 1st amendment so their precious 2nd amendment remains unsullied. Video games and movies are the culprits here? Really? Cops in schools is actually one of the lesser crazy things said in this “press conference.” ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nras-response-to-sandy-hook-an-armed-policemen-in-every-single-school-in-the-us/644754/25 "2012-12-21T17:40:56Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > Like I said in the other thread; I don’t have a problem with armed (professional) guards at schools. > > But that does fuck all to stop guns from getting into the hands of crazy people. > > So much for their meaningful contributions towards gun control like they said they were going to do. Well, perhaps the NRA plans to “contribute” the money for hiring & equipping these officers. Oh, special training might be needed, too. While they are at it, they can underwrite the cops already on duty in many schools. _That_ would be “meaningful.” Otherwise, it’s just more fapping… ---
**Author:** ![Aquadementia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aquadementia/32/555_2.png) [@Aquadementia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquadementia)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nras-response-to-sandy-hook-an-armed-policemen-in-every-single-school-in-the-us/644754/26 "2012-12-21T17:46:28Z")
So, every community in the country should go broke on armed guards, take money away from book learning, all so a bunch of gun freaks don’t have to be inconvenienced in any by responsible laws relating to deadly weapons. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nras-response-to-sandy-hook-an-armed-policemen-in-every-single-school-in-the-us/644754/27 "2012-12-21T17:53:21Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I think that is a excellent suggestion, but instead of a actual policeman, I’d make it a State licensed armed guard. This means it’d be a LOT cheaper, adding less than $100k to the budget. Less than $100k? Why, that’s nothing, then! That’s less (slightly) than the cost of our full-time licensed interventionist (a teacher who oversees academic interventions for every student at every grade level who’s falling behind, coordinating remediation efforts and hitting the front lines of remediation) and our three tutors. Just cut out all our support for kids who are suffering academically and Bob’s your uncle. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nras-response-to-sandy-hook-an-armed-policemen-in-every-single-school-in-the-us/644754/28 "2012-12-21T17:58:29Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > Expensive idea, but not necessarily a terrible one. The problem is that we can’t put an armed policeman in every place that might attract a crazy person - in every movie theater, for example. Welcome to my world. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nras-response-to-sandy-hook-an-armed-policemen-in-every-single-school-in-the-us/644754/29 "2012-12-21T17:58:56Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > It shouldn’t be an additional expense, for school system anyways. It should be part of the police budget. It is here. Granted, I’m not sure we have cops at every campus at all times, and not just them moving back and forth, but it wouldn’t take much to go further. People are perfectly willing to increase the sales tax by a quarter percent for things like this, too, which should be more than enough. “Think of the children” always works for this sort of stuff. So, the idea is to raise taxes to pay for an armed guard that will spend 99.999% of his day NOT preventing the school shooting he’s being hired to prevent. I’m sure the party of fiscal responsibility will just wet themselves in anticipation of supporting this idea. ---
**Author:** ![Krouget](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b38774/32.png) [@Krouget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krouget)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nras-response-to-sandy-hook-an-armed-policemen-in-every-single-school-in-the-us/644754/30 "2012-12-21T17:59:44Z")
We have close to 99,000 public schools in this country\*. Assuming a salary of 30k, we’re looking at ~3 billion, just to _begin_ to entertain this idea. The sad part, is this was their response, _after_ taking time to think it over. Imagine what happens when acting on impulse. Oh wait… - [Fast Facts: Educational institutions (84)](http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=84) ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nras-response-to-sandy-hook-an-armed-policemen-in-every-single-school-in-the-us/644754/31 "2012-12-21T18:00:27Z")
The day my daughter’s school has armed guards is the day I move. It’s ludicrous, really. Okay, so now, allegedly, the Adam Lanzas of the world won’t go to the school because Robbie the Rent-A-Cop is there. (And for $30,000 a year you’re not getting someone I’d trust with a gun anyway.) So Lanza would have gone to a day care and killed the toddlers. Oh, we’re going to arm them too? So then the next killer goes to a mall and blows the shoppers away. Oh, armed guards there? So he goes to a movie theatre, like the Aurora shooter. Oh, armed guards there? so he goes to a place of business. Are we going to force every place of business to have an armed guard? Logically, now, everyone has to be armed. Every gathering place needs to be under armed guard. Who wants to live like that? Forget the Band-Aid in the form of rentacops. What’s the SOLUTION? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nras-response-to-sandy-hook-an-armed-policemen-in-every-single-school-in-the-us/644754/32 "2012-12-21T18:03:36Z")
Of course, these people don’t expect to get out alive, so this is a patently stupid idea. Why would a cop be adeterrent to someone with suicidal ambitions? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nras-response-to-sandy-hook-an-armed-policemen-in-every-single-school-in-the-us/644754/33 "2012-12-21T18:10:51Z")
> [@Krouget](#): > > We have close to 99,000 public schools in this country\*. Assuming a salary of 30k, we’re looking at ~3 billion, just to _begin_ to entertain this idea. Coincidentally, that’s twice the annual budget of the National Institute of Mental Health. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Doom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Dr\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Doom)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nras-response-to-sandy-hook-an-armed-policemen-in-every-single-school-in-the-us/644754/34 "2012-12-21T18:18:54Z")
Solution? Guns! ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nras-response-to-sandy-hook-an-armed-policemen-in-every-single-school-in-the-us/644754/35 "2012-12-21T18:24:45Z")
If you’re getting in a twist over this, you should talk to the gun nuts I work with who think concealed carry for teachers is the solution. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nras-response-to-sandy-hook-an-armed-policemen-in-every-single-school-in-the-us/644754/36 "2012-12-21T18:25:02Z")
Seriously - how dumb is this idea? The first person shot will be that minimum wage worker in the pretty uniform at the door. We have guards at our school (unarmed) simply to keep an eye on any unruly student, suspected drug use, loud confrontations, theft, checking doors, checking parking lot, etc. The guards are all really nice (older) people (three shifts) but all totally useless if some nutcase came to the school with any kind of firearm. While we are at it, post a cop at every single bar in the US and verify that nobody gets into a car drunk. At this rate, we will soon have a cop at every corner of every street in every urban area. What a great idea! Or we could just move to North Korea now. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Doom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Dr\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Doom)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nras-response-to-sandy-hook-an-armed-policemen-in-every-single-school-in-the-us/644754/37 "2012-12-21T18:27:46Z")
[While the NRA was on TV talking about the need for more guns, some guy was walking up and down a road in Pennsylvania shooting people.](http://gawker.com/5970497/while-the-nra-was-on-tv-talking-about-the-need-for-more-guns-some-guy-was-walking-up-and-down-a-road-in-pennsylvania-shooting-people) Guns! ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nras-response-to-sandy-hook-an-armed-policemen-in-every-single-school-in-the-us/644754/38 "2012-12-21T18:28:32Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I think that is a excellent suggestion, but instead of a actual policeman, I’d make it a State licensed armed guard. This means it’d be a LOT cheaper, adding less than $100k to the budget. $100k? The school district I grew up in has 11 school buildings. And it’s far from the biggest district in the region. Where are you going to find a trained, licensed armed guard to work for ~$9K a year? That you would trust your kids with? Christ, I was ranting at the TV watching this guy. He blamed everything BUT too-easy access to guns for the rash of massacres. He even lamented the lack of a national database of _mentally ill people_. Right, because a registry of everybody who owns a gun is terrible violation of rights, but a registry of everybody who’s ever been prescribed an antidepressant is not. ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nras-response-to-sandy-hook-an-armed-policemen-in-every-single-school-in-the-us/644754/39 "2012-12-21T18:30:09Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Like most people, I’ve been thinking over this idea in the last week. The thing is, we have armed guards in so many different places, why not schools? If we have armed guards protecting our money in banks, why don’t we value our kids at least that much? Good thing that solution has resulted in the complete elimination of bank robberies! ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nras-response-to-sandy-hook-an-armed-policemen-in-every-single-school-in-the-us/644754/40 "2012-12-21T18:33:23Z")
I remember how well putting a policeman in school for the DARE program worked out… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nras-response-to-sandy-hook-an-armed-policemen-in-every-single-school-in-the-us/644754.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-nras-response-to-sandy-hook-an-armed-policemen-in-every-single-school-in-the-us/644754.md?page=3)