DBP
The Times article Smitty cites above in #39 (“School cops helpful but costly”) convinces me that having a cop or a beefy security guy on school grounds would be a good thing. It does not convince me that the only thing that will stop a school attack is a gun. Far from it.
In the case cited in the article, a 17-year-old attacker dropped his knives when a cop confronted him. Yes, the cop was pointing a gun . . . but the attacker was just a kid, like Adam Lanza. He probably would’ve surrendered to the cop anyway. And if he didn’t, the cop could still have rushed him with a billy club or chair.
Richard Reid (“Shoe Bomber”) was wrestled to the floor by unarmed passengers.
Two muscular and VERY DETERMINED knife-wielding terrorists on United 93 were overpowered by unarmed passengers.
In spite of what the NRA would have us believe, guns do not impart super powers to ordinary mortals. Yes, they do give a marginal advantage in the hands of a trained defender, but at the same time they add an extra element of lethality to most attack/defense scenarios.
Even cops will tell you this. That’s why they’re supposed to use non-lethal methods whenever possible. Which is most of the time.