School and Church Security
Copyright © August 3, 2018 by Robert Wayne Atkins, P.E.
All Rights Reserved.
Introduction
This very short article will discuss one very simple, very easy way to reduce the number of innocent children and innocent people who are being randomly killed in the schools and in the churches all across the United States of America.
Discussion
If we truly wish to reduce the number of random killings of innocent people in our schools and churches then three basic steps will be necessary.
The first step is to recognize that this problem does exist, and that it is a very serious problem, and that it is not getting any better, and that it is not going to go away if we simply keep doing what we are currently doing. The reason is simple. What we are currently doing is NOT working.
The second step is to not pass more laws that criminals will simply ignore and that will only restrict the rights of honest law-abiding citizens. Honest law-abiding citizens are not the problem, and it is wrong to pretend that they are the problem, and it is wrong to pass new laws that will take away their rights. The reason is simple. Criminals are the problem. Criminals do not obey the current laws and there is no reason to believe that criminals are suddenly going to start obeying some new laws if they are passed.
The third step is for a state to pass a law that gives any person in that state who has passed a background check and who has been legally licensed by their state to carry a concealed weapon the right to carry a concealed weapon in any school and in any church in their state. This means that any visitor, employee, teacher, student, preacher, or member of the school or church could carry a concealed weapon in the school or church. A concealed weapon is concealed and it cannot be seen. Therefore no one would know who was carrying a concealed weapon and who was not carrying a concealed weapon. In other words, things would not look any different than they look today.
However, at the current time an evil person knows that the people in a school and in a church are completely defenseless against a firearm and they cannot defend themselves. Therefore at the current time a criminal is not taking any type of risk by entering a school or a church because he or she knows that he or she will probably be the only person there with a firearm and therefore the criminal can kill as many people as they want to, or they can keep killing until they run out of ammunition, and then they can simply surrender.
However, if any adult in a school or church could be carrying a concealed weapon then this takes the advantage away from the criminal. The criminal would know that as soon as he or she starts shooting that he or she may be shot to death by one or more armed people in the facility. If you will think about this with an open mind for just a moment, there may be a chance that you may realize that this could significantly reduce the number of killings in our schools and our churches, and it wouldn't cost a penny, and it wouldn't change the appearance of our schools or churches because a concealed weapon is concealed.
People who have a concealed carry permit are not criminals. They have passed a background check and they have complied with all the legal requirements of their state in order to be awarded a concealed carry permit. These people are honest law-abiding individuals and they can become invisible volunteer armed citizens who help to protect the lives of their fellow citizens, including very young children, students, and people who do not wish to carry a firearm.
Conclusion
There are many honest sincere people who believe that all firearms should be outlawed and that this will stop the problem of killings in our schools and churches. However, criminals do not obey the law and even if guns are outlawed a criminal will still be able to buy any weapon he or she wants on the black market. Many criminals who are currently forbidden to buy and use firearms already buy their weapons on the black market and they commit crimes using those illegally purchased weapons. Black markets are already illegal. And black markets are not going to go away just because a law is passed that prohibits honest law-abiding people from owning firearms. If honest law-abiding people are legally prohibited from owning firearms then all this will accomplish will be to ensure that only criminals have firearms in the future and if that happens then honest law-abiding people will quickly become helpless victims for any criminal who wishes to harm them. The reason is because any honest person who defends their life, or the lives of their family members, with a firearm will be treated just like a criminal and that honest person will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
If a state passes a law that allows any adult in their state who has a state concealed carry permit the right to carry a concealed weapon in any school or church in their state, then that law should not have additional clauses and restrictions that would make the law almost impossible for an honest person to comply with. For example, the law should not have restrictions that a firearm cannot be carried in a restroom, or in an office, or in a classroom, or in an auditorium, or in a stadium, or in a sanctuary, or in a cafeteria, or in certain types of hallways, or in locker rooms, or during a concert, or in a parking lot, or during certain hours of the day, or whenever more than a specified number of people are present. These types of restrictions make the law impossible to obey and the people who add these types of restrictions completely understand that the law will not accomplish anything and that school and church killings will continue and may even increase. The reason is because criminals are not stupid and they can quickly figure out the law is worthless and that no honest person can comply with the law and therefore there will be no armed people in the school or church to stop them from killing as many people as they wish.
Finally, the law should not insist that any person who has a concealed carry permit must carry a firearm in a school or church. That decision should be left up to the concealed carry permit holder. The law should also not force someone to buy a firearm. Firearm purchases should continue to be at the discretion of each law-abiding person in the state just like it has been in the past. The only thing the law will do is to notify evil people in the state that there may be some people in a school or church who may now be armed with a concealed weapon and that those people may kill them if they enter the facility and start shooting people.
Footnote
It may be possible in some states for some private schools and some churches to immediately amend their by-laws, or their regulations, or their policies and procedures, and allow any member or employee of their school or church, or any parent or guardian of a child in that school or church, who has a state approved concealed carry permit, the right to legally carry a concealed weapon in that school or church, and to use that weapon if it becomes necessary to protect the other people in the school or church if their lives are threatened.
The individuals who decide to carry a concealed weapon should not be required to register with the school or the church. They should be allowed to remain anonymous. This means nobody can access any type of document or file that lists the names of the people who might be carrying a concealed weapon. In nobody knows then an evil person cannot find out who to shoot first, and this makes it safer for everyone, including the people carrying a concealed weapon and the people who are not carrying a concealed weapon.
I do not mind if some people, who love their families, do not wish to buy and own a firearm and I do not mind if they wish to allow a criminal to do anything the criminal wants to do to them or their family. This is a personal decision and each adult should be allowed to make this decision for themselves. However, I dearly love my family and I believe it is my God given responsibility to try to protect my family in the best way I can if their lives are threatened.
Respectfully,
Grandpappy.
Grandpappy's e-mail address is: RobertWayneAtkins@hotmail.com