In addition to applying the first-aid of defensive firearms, we should also administer vaccination.
We can do this by vigorously and directly addressing schools where administrators tolerate or ignore, and thus foster, the unrelenting heaping of humiliation, degradation, and physical and psychological abuse on students who fail to conform to the prevailing “popular” norms.
Murderous rage in ordinary young men doesn’t come out of nowhere. Some kids eat a shotgun in order to escape the crushing degradation of acidic school cultures which they are required by law to endure. But as we all well know, not all of them decide to point the shotgun at themselves.
A good defense is laudable, but that’s usually addressing the symptom, not the disease.
..Or addessing parents who say, “We do not see the shotgun barrel on your dresser. Here’s a car, here’s a computer, get out of our sight and stop bothering us”.
I was subbing yesterday (4/21) in a high school class when 'Code Black' came over the intercom. Thankfully, I'd written myself notecards on what to do for lockdown and already had the doors locked. Closed the blinds, covered the windows to the hall, turned off the lights and had the kids sit on the floor.
I took the opportunity to talk a little about why we have Code Black.. many had never heard of Colombine (freshmen), but one girl had and when she started telling her classmates the stats from that day and she got their attention. I had several that fall into the the "my poo don't stink, do you know who my daddy is" group so I informed them about the bullying aspect of what brought about that day.
I admit, I was a bit freaked, yet calm. The drill was during first block and I had a knot in my stomach the rest of the day! Yet I knew then that should something horrible happen, these kids were my responsibilty and I'd do whatever it takes to see to it they return home safely.