A Former Embassy Guard's Solution To School Shootings

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 11 Apr 2018 15:15:53 -0400

*The views expressed in RallyPoint Command Posts are those of the authors’ and are not endorsed by RallyPoint*

This whole gun debate is getting out of hand. We’re focusing on all the wrong things in my opinion. So, I did some thinking and came up with a tried and true way of bringing school shootings to zero. Or close to it.

Most of the arguments I hear about how to stop school shootings are focused on the shooter. That’s our first problem. It’s an impossible task to try to stop the next shooter when they’re all different, have different motives, and different resources. The other arguments focus on the weapons. AR-15’s bear the brunt of this. What makes this weapon so bad? Magazine capacity? Ok. So, will forcing the shooter to reload more save lives? Maybe, maybe not. Most everyone I know with an AR-15 shoots FMJ rounds like we use in the military. If I had to choose between my child getting shot with a green tipped 5.56 round or a 30.06 Core-Lokt round, I’ll pick the AR-15 round 6 days a week and twice on Sunday. So, let’s be careful before we force these murderers to choose a 30.06. Just food for thought.

So, if focusing on the shooter and focusing on the weapon won’t work, what will? We need to focus on the school. Bear with me as I walk through this.
I was a Marine Security Guard at the American Embassy in Bogota, Colombia and Harare, Zimbabwe. Despite what you see in movies, the MSG’s job is to protect the people and information INSIDE the embassy. Much like what needs to be done at a school. What happens outside was of little concern. We literally never talked about the threats to the embassy unless they were an actual force like the FARC in Colombia. There was no point in spending time trying to pinpoint some individual that no one knows who might do something one day. So how did we protect the people and information inside from these unknown threats? I’ll use the embassy in Colombia for this analysis since it was much more fortified. First, we start with the building to be protected being placed far away from any streets. How far? Far enough that if a car blew up on the street nothing would happen to the building. Next, we have a wall (not a fence) surrounding the property to keep people and vehicles from going off-road and getting to the building. The entry point will have armed guards and barriers. Every vehicle and every person is searched at this gate before entering. The armed guard inside has cameras on the entire property. Could someone still scale the wall and sneak onto the property? Sure, but we’ll cover that later.

What if someone shoots the guards outside and heads toward the building you say? Well the building is fortified with bullet proof glass and blast resistant doors. And those doors are locked and controlled by another armed guard inside. This guard also can control the barriers at the outside gate should he need to. (Make a mental note that at this time the guard inside just triggered an alarm and 5-10 other guys that are nearby are suiting up to come help.) Located around the perimeter of the building are CS canisters that the guard inside can deploy as needed. So, the intruder that killed the guards outside and made a run for the front door is now sucking in gas.

What if someone has a gas mask and somehow gets inside the building with a gun? Remember that armed guard inside the building? With the flip of a switch he can magnetically lock all the doors in the building. So now the intruder can only attack those who find themselves outside of the locked down areas. But he better hurry because that armed response team I mentioned earlier is only minutes away. And this team does nothing but train to clear and defend this particular building. They have rehearsed this scenario more times than they can count, and they know every nook and cranny in the building. You can’t hide. Their whole purpose in life is this exact scenario. The intruder will soon be dead.

You can see how much better this is than the current situation schools face where the shooter just walks through the front door and starts shooting. A single police officer may be there in a minute, but it takes some time figuring out what’s going on. He also doesn’t know the layout of the building. Meanwhile other law enforcement arrives and a plan is developed. All of this takes time and during that time people are dying.

But you also see the enormous cost this would entail. It is impossible to do what I’ve described in every school if any. So, what do we do? We start peeling off layers of security. The building won’t be fortified. Maybe we have an armed guard, but he isn’t in a protected position and most likely becomes the first casualty. We might install a metal detector, but it will be inside and useless for someone looking to start shooting. In the military we call this Risk Management. FM 6-0 defines it as the process of identifying, assessing, and controlling risks arising from operational factors and making decisions that balance risk cost with mission benefits. We know at the beginning of an operation people will die. We do what we can to limit that, but we can’t prevent it completely. Every layer of security we peel off from what I’ve described means we assume a little more risk which equates to possible deaths. Is the embassy scenario overkill? Probably. But at what point do you stop adding security measures and accept the risk?

The point of this is to show that A) there is a way to protect our children in school almost completely. And B) the cost to do so would be astronomical. Now we just need to decide how much we’re willing to pay (since our taxes pay for schools). But we must focus on the facility being protected. We don’t focus on unnamed, random threats in the military so why do that here? We also don’t focus on getting rid of something so prevalent as guns. We have entire government agencies focused on getting rid of illegal drugs and they can’t do it. If you think outlawing guns in the US won’t make every arms dealer in the world start drooling, you’re wrong. The influx of illegal weapons into our country would be enormous and immediate. It’s basic economics.

So, we have the plan. And like most other things in life it really comes down to money. How much are you willing to spend and how much risk are you ready to assume?

Response by 1stSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 11 at 2018 3:44 PM

1stSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 11 Apr 2018 15:44:04 -0400

Good points, Skipper. Semper Fidelis

Response by PO1 Raymond Fochler made Apr 11 at 2018 3:54 PM

PO1 Raymond Fochler — Wed, 11 Apr 2018 15:54:05 -0400

Spot on Capt. I'd trade all of capital hill's bureaucrats for one marine or solider who has some honest to god real world experiences protecting hard targets such as embassy's. Maybe then we would see meaningful changes to school security. Honestly is it really such a travesty to have metal detectors in schools? We protect airports and court houses with them, are our children less valuable?

Response by TSgt David L. made Apr 11 at 2018 4:14 PM

TSgt David L. — Wed, 11 Apr 2018 16:14:52 -0400

Great piece. Pretty well thought out, AND factual. I think most of us feel very similar and think the same way.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 11 at 2018 4:15 PM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 11 Apr 2018 16:15:10 -0400

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member Semper Fi Captain. Excellent Command Post. Well thought out plan of action.

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 11 at 2018 4:22 PM

LCDR Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 11 Apr 2018 16:22:48 -0400

Yep...spot on.

It's pretty amazing to me that whenever one brings up securing the physical location...you automatically get the "eye roll" and the well-beaten horse about money. The truth, plain and simple, is that if "making our kids safer" was the ultimate goal, and not a means to an end...people would be jumping up and down about finding the funds, rather than arguing for measures that at best, would take years to fully see the impact of.

Response by SGM Bill Frazer made Apr 11 at 2018 5:39 PM

SGM Bill Frazer — Wed, 11 Apr 2018 17:39:53 -0400

Good ideas, a cheaper way would be for the dumb kids to stop[ bullying other kids till they snap and come looking for payback with a gun!

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 11 at 2018 5:53 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 11 Apr 2018 17:53:22 -0400

The final point, I agree with: we have to accept some risk, but most of the mass murders that have been happening over the past few years haven't been from people nobody knew about. The Parkland shooter, it turns out, people knew about. The Orlando night club shooter - people knew. The Boston marathon bombers - people knew. The Detroit undie-bomber - his father told representatives of the US Government to be concerned about him... The Las Vegas mass murderer maybe not, but that makes him the outlier from the general trend of mass murders by the usual suspects (or at least, the suspects who had already drawn suspicion before they started murdering people). Some very far-left types will come up with crazy conspiracy theories at this point and don't entertain any of that, but whatever methods have been used allocate resources (including time and personnel) to investigating tips, those methods appear to need some improvement, at least that's how it looks from my living room watching the news from time to time. But again, the main point - we have to accept some risk -yep.

Response by Lt Col Charlie Brown made Apr 11 at 2018 6:14 PM

Lt Col Charlie Brown — Wed, 11 Apr 2018 18:14:40 -0400

I agree and I love your thought process. There are some other cost effective measures, better classroom doors and quick lock systems that would go a long way. Also an alarm that would let the teachers know to lock down.

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 11 at 2018 9:38 PM

COL Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 11 Apr 2018 21:38:29 -0400

Yea, so we are going to have kids show up to school how many hours early to get through the security check point to get searched? It will be worse than going to the airport. Oh but its worth it to secure our kids you say. Let’s not lose sight of the purpose of the school. It’s for kids to learn and there isn’t much learning when kids are getting up two hours early to get through the security line. So you block the shootings at school and the shooters move to sporting events. You do the same for the high school football game? I’m not saying this is a complete no starter cause that’s not where it is but short of putting everyone in bubble rap there will always be risk in large crowds of people that torment others. We can’t treat schools like embassies-

Response by SN Jay Perry made Apr 12 at 2018 1:23 AM

SN Jay Perry — Thu, 12 Apr 2018 01:23:48 -0400

Valid points, BUT how many of these shooters have a family (parents/support) to watch over them to STOP them from even considering it? As for FMJ, most people shoot it because it is CHEAPER that hunting rounds... As for the AR-15, I do not have one, but have fired one several times, they are fun to shoot, comparatively cheap ammo, and 'cheap' to buy.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 12 at 2018 3:22 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 12 Apr 2018 03:22:57 -0400

Well said. Do you mind if I share this?

Response by SCPO Jason McLaughlin made Apr 12 at 2018 6:15 AM

SCPO Jason McLaughlin — Thu, 12 Apr 2018 06:15:32 -0400

There was a time in this country where the schools our children attended did not need to be armed fortresses. How about we as a society address the underlying issues that are leading to these mass shootings? Mental health issues, economic issues, parental issues, law-enforcement issues, and reasonable legislation that holds people accountable for their responsibilities.

Response by Maj Marty Hogan made Apr 12 at 2018 10:41 PM

Maj Marty Hogan — Thu, 12 Apr 2018 22:41:24 -0400

Like this guy

Response by PO3 Phyllis Maynard made Apr 12 at 2018 11:45 PM

PO3 Phyllis Maynard — Thu, 12 Apr 2018 23:45:45 -0400

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member I read the article and I was dismayed. The education institution I remember was one where little kids and young people were scattering off to classes, meeting for lunch on the lawn, playing hooky and sneaking off campus. It is unfortunate that the horror story from school of being caught sneaking back on campus seems like a fairy tale and the true horror story is "my school has a swat team on standby and my teacher carries a gun". The schools are armed against terrorism and the students and staff function with PTSD in our communities and we have active duty fighting the war on terrorism away from home. I don't know. Is this what is next for societies?

Response by Maj Walter Kilar made Apr 13 at 2018 11:37 AM

Maj Walter Kilar — Fri, 13 Apr 2018 11:37:25 -0400

Great post! Put the onus on school districts to invest in the amount of security commensurate with assessed risk. Create and environment where school administrators must think of security not as a single armed guard and a metal detector, but as layered defense architecture with a dedicated and trained security staff. It will cost the schools money, but schools need to accept the fact that the federal government passing strict guns laws may come at no cost to the schools, but it would not solve the problem. Adding just one more security guard and one more metal detector buys a false sense of security at low cost, but that is not sufficient. Schools need to invest more in their own security, and they need to look for better implementation models. I like a tailored version of the embassy security model. I think there are ways to tailor that model for schools at an acceptable cost.

Response by A Wiegert made Apr 14 at 2018 6:02 AM

A Wiegert — Sat, 14 Apr 2018 06:02:02 -0400

CPT (Anonymous), I believe you know what you are talking about!
Help me out with a couple things, though?
--Do you really think it is just comes down to money? A decision about cost versus security? If the ultimate goal is to provide students with a place where they don't have to worry about their safety, and can just focus on schoolwork, then going to school where security measures are omnipresent is only going to remind them of what we don't want them to be afraid of.
--We can prevent students from being the victims of mass shootings at school very cheaply. Just have 'em log into school from a laptop at home. (If my four-year-old niece can find her favorite videos online using a cheap tablet, and sit with it until the battery dies if you let her, I think she could probably handle online school.) And let the teachers work from home, too. But aside from the added responsibility for care and education which this would place on all parents, and the financial impossibility of this for single parents who can't to stay home with their children if they want to pay the rent, I think we want our kids to have the opportunity to experience the socializing that schools provide. So I think it's less about money and more about the shared experience we want them to have.
--You say, ''...we must focus on the facility being protected.'' But your experience is about keeping adults safe; adults who have chosen to work in a dangerous place. Children don't choose, though. And they shouldn't feel like they are in a dangerous place.
--You say, ''We don’t focus on unnamed, random threats in the military so why do that here?'' In the military, you do what works best with the resources you have. Civilian authorities should do the same, but they can't seriously be expected to ignore anything that can be done to prevent harm to children, no matter how random the threat.
--You say, ''We also don’t focus on getting rid of something so prevalent as guns.'' Isn't that like saying we can't get rid of something so prevalent as pollution? Sure, it may take generations for reasonable regulations to make an impact, but that's no argument for not starting NOW!
--You say, ''We have entire government agencies focused on getting rid of illegal drugs and they can’t do it.'' No one is talking about an epidemic of children overdosing in school buildings, so I'm guessing someone is doing something right to be able keep dangerous drugs out of schools. But the government shouldn't be expected to keep weapons out of schools? We accept that out government makes laws to minimize traffic deaths. How is the government making laws to minimize shooting deaths any different? I feel like it is the government's responsibility to try at least, and I think we should demand it of them. Why do you want to Congress off the hook?

Response by CWO3 Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 16 at 2018 11:18 PM

CWO3 Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 16 Apr 2018 23:18:25 -0400

Good points and good responses. At some point our community leaders in all facets are wondering what happened at the school and why. I know each school have a teachers and parents school associations. Why not get them involved. Better yet why not get every parent, every law enforcement officers, and every community leader involved. The responsibility that I see is everyone who’s child is in jeopardy. Great advice and proven facts. People just don’t get it sometimes. You have to have someone killed or injured before forcing the issue.

Response by SSgt GG-15 RET Jim Lint made Apr 17 at 2018 12:22 AM

SSgt GG-15 RET Jim Lint — Tue, 17 Apr 2018 00:22:49 -0400

Great article. I know on MSG duty, you have lots of time to think. You did well.

Response by SA Samuel Swearingen made Apr 17 at 2018 9:23 PM

SA Samuel Swearingen — Tue, 17 Apr 2018 21:23:23 -0400

CPT, I have discussed this several times with fellow vets. One of the things we have come up with is to hire unemployed vets to act as guards. Of course they would have to go through screenings and background checks, along with having to re-qual with weapons handling. To help support said guard, get one of the local duty stations to provide a few servicemen (women) to act as subordinates. These servicemen could use this as a means of serving in-active duty time, or using reservist as their postings. Just my two cents Sir.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 18 at 2018 12:01 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 12:01:30 -0400

good article...I would have to agree. We did it for our military installations worldwide after 9/11...I felt like I was reading the FM and Army Reg 190-13.....hehehehe...It is just amazing how different the environment is inside school these days. When I was in high school 1980-1984, the worst thing you would hear about was the occasional fight, someone bringing a pair of nun-chucks to school and smoking pot...sheeesh!

Response by Maj Bruce Pawlak made Apr 20 at 2018 7:16 AM

Maj Bruce Pawlak — Fri, 20 Apr 2018 07:16:33 -0400

Excellent thought process. I've also seen where the scenario is linked to the school fire problems we had way back when. A long time ago there was concern about fires in schools. The answer was not to put a firefighter in every school, the answer was to rethink the design of schools to use technology to lessen the incidence of fire. Therefore, why don’t we rethink school design to “harden” schools to make school shootings more difficult?

For example...

Protective Measure 1. Build entrapment rooms between inner and outer doors at school entrances. When someone comes to school they enter the outer door, which locks behind them. Inside the entrapment area is a metal detector. If the metal detector goes off then the next door remains locked and the person is entrapped waiting for law enforcement to resolve the issue.

Protective Measure 2. Many newer public facilities (hospitals, schools, etc.) have fire doors in hallways that automatically close when the fire alarm is triggered. Use bullet resistant heavier doors that lock. These doors could be placed every 30/60... feet down each hallway. In the event of an alarm these doors would shut and entrap a possible shooter, limiting the shooter’s ability to harm more students beyond those doors. These doors would have to be tamper-alarmed so that if someone attempted to tamper with the door to keep it open the alarm would be triggered – in the event of pre-planning the shooting – no tape over the locking mechanism or prepositioned backpack to keep the door from closing.

Protective Measure 3. Every classroom door locks when shut. Classrooms are totally (doors, walls, windows, floors, and ceilings) bullet resistant.

Protective Measure 4. Each school would have a “secret location” alarm room to be manned and monitored when students are present. Alarms and security cameras EVERYWHERE! Monitored in the alarm room AND by law enforcement. Each classroom would also have two-way intercom with law enforcement. A loud noise sensor might be employed as well to isolate trouble areas for the alarm/video monitor.

Protective Measure 5. There is a company that builds hardened-bullet resistant safety shelters for school classrooms. They can also double as a tornado shelter. Cost is approximately $1k +/- per student (higher grades cost more, lower grades cost less: size of students).

Protective Measure 6. Schools might have to be consolidated to make them safer. Co-locate National Guard armories, police, fire and ambulance substations at schools. Schools could become regional at centralized locations to lessen the costs of separate secured facilities...

Cost-benefit analyses, operational risk management... all valid factors in determining the best path to keep our investment in the future (our children) safe... And it will cost us... just like fire prevention... hopefully this problem can be resolved just as easily with a cost that we can reasonably accept.

Response by PVT Mark Brown made Apr 20 at 2018 4:52 PM

PVT Mark Brown — Fri, 20 Apr 2018 16:52:54 -0400

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member You have outlined a very common sense approach and pointed out an important array of ideas for discussion, again, on the local level.

Response by SPC Steven Nihipali made Apr 21 at 2018 9:47 PM

SPC Steven Nihipali — Sat, 21 Apr 2018 21:47:54 -0400

This should be a no brainier... Having a QRF security team in place, jic shtf... I've been saying this since I joined the Army in 04. Having those assets available, being a barrier after barrier, that shooter is going to get tired and fail. Doesn't matter if the shooter knows the security plan, it's called a defensive position.

My oldest child, his first elementary school was built with the check in office in the front, the only person to push the button was the secretary, if she was offerd, the AP/and police officer were only a door away. The entire building was brick and concrete. Safest building I felt good in, in a long long time.

I swear I need veterans building schools and making up security details

Response by SSG Roy Neve made Apr 26 at 2018 1:11 AM

SSG Roy Neve — Thu, 26 Apr 2018 01:11:05 -0400

When were you in Zimbabwe?

Response by Sgt Wayne Wood made Apr 27 at 2018 10:40 AM

Sgt Wayne Wood — Fri, 27 Apr 2018 10:40:54 -0400

yup... last i looked when you went to secure a position the first thing was to SECURE THE POSITION.

Response by SSG Robert Perrotto made May 9 at 2018 6:15 AM

SSG Robert Perrotto — Wed, 09 May 2018 06:15:48 -0400

where do I begin - first - I think you have some good ideas, but turning our schools into small fortresses, complete with a dedicated armed response team - or QRF is a little overboard - not only would the cost of such measures be astronomical, but the public would revolt when told how much it would cost and how much taxes will get raised. The idea that doors can be locked from a central location would be a wet dream for someone looking to kill indiscriminately, all the culprit need do is wait for the system to kick in and start a fire - this is not an easy problem to solve - schools are not embassies on foreign soil, schools are places of learning and do not have the high profile political capital vested in it like an embassy - someone shoots up an embassy is grounds for international war - schools do not carry that weight - the issue I see is - how can we identify a person that's about to do something like this - the first step is having parents actively involved in their childs life, the signs of angst, anxiety, and depression are there - too many times, we find the signs were present AFTER the fact, and those closest to the culprit ignored them , or just did not care enough to try to help them before things got out of hand - social media - this , imho - is a huge reason reason for the angst, anxiety, depression, and frustration - our youngsters barely live in the material world - their entire social structure is centered on social media, especially if the children are already shunned by their peers. Society in general - when something of this magnitude happens, they let their emotions rule their brains - they generalize things and look for anything that they can label - take incels for example, these are people who are already shunned, ridiculed, and ostracized - instead of trying to help them - they get further denigrated, attacked, and bullied by those looking to have a target for their fears and anger thus reinforcing their belief that society wants them dead and that they have little, if anything, to offer. Gun control and turning our schools into mini fortresses is not the answer, they are gut reactions and defensive in nature - you never win any fight by being defensive.

Response by PO3 Steven Sherrill made May 9 at 2018 6:17 PM

PO3 Steven Sherrill — Wed, 09 May 2018 18:17:05 -0400

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member This is a great piece. Yes money will always be the prime mover when it comes to anything that is paid for out of our taxes. The other reality is that a person who is committed to committing a heinous act such as a school shooting, and is willing to die to complete their act, cannot be stopped. Life involves a certain amount of risk. Every time you walk out your front door could be the last time. Nobody who dies in a traffic accident wakes up thinking that it will be their last day on earth. I like your suggestions. I would say start with replacing the glass doors many schools have with metal storm doors designed to survive a hurricane. That would be the cheapest start to securing the schools. Second move to the idea of putting a wall around all the schools. Put a wrought iron fence at the top of the wall to make scaling the wall more difficult. If done in small batches, it can be built up to the point where the schools are like fortresses. Or we can just keep blaming the implement, and having useless debates.

Response by LtCol Robert Quinter made May 17 at 2018 6:44 PM

LtCol Robert Quinter — Thu, 17 May 2018 18:44:15 -0400

I've spent 16 years, all after Columbine, on the local School Board and have tossed fits about the security issue many times. Your solution would work against outside threats over the objections of most civilians, school administrators and teachers. Let's assume the money is available (which it isn't in most school districts). First, none of the above want a fortress school because it might give the students the impression they're "locked down". Second, most of them are totally ignorant of firearms and feel introducing them to the school environment will result in accidental shootings, students taking the weapon from the armed person, and, again, the students' poor little minds feeling threatened. They all prefer passive defenses such as IDs (my stated opinion was they would only assist in the identification of the dead), central lock systems (we have them, but the kids and teachers all block them open for assorted reason), cameras (I said they would be handy for recreating the incident), and an additional principal who would walk around handling disciplinary problems (untrained in psychology, defense or security). Of course, police are nothing but a pipeline to jail and the kids won't feel safe around them.
Second problem, most of the shooters have been insiders not invaders, so all the security to keep people out is not effective 95% of the time.
The solution I felt had the most potential for success was the trained School Resource Officer. Take a look at the web site for the national association. A qualified SRO is first a fully qualified police officer, then he's trained in appropriate security measures in a school and can make recommendations for creating a safer environment. Then, and most importantly, he's trained to interact with the kids. Consider all the shootings. Most of the time the kids say that the shooter was weird and they could see him doing what he did. By interacting with the kids, not sitting in an office, an SRO becomes the trusted agent amongst the students, he's not going to give you detention and has nothing to do with your grades, but he hears the talk, sometimes receives tips from the kids who have learned to trust him, recognizes the ones who don't fit in or seem to have problems and can take preemptive action to prevent the incident by either interacting with the kid, or bringing the appropriate people in to resolve the situation. And yes, when all else fails, blow the idiot away.
In our area they cost about $80,000 per year, remain active policemen, and are not running around thinking about retiring.

Response by SFC Ssg Sabin made May 19 at 2018 10:40 AM

SFC Ssg Sabin — Sat, 19 May 2018 10:40:32 -0400

Right On! Well said, simple, and exactly to the point, as it should be.
I get so sick and tired of the first thing coming out of the mouths of politicians whenever this happens is "I'll be calling for a bi-partisan committee to study this problem and come up with a recommendation. Of course, we may all have to make concessions here and there (code for "forget the 2nd amendment) but our kids are more important!" or some such gobblygook and then nothing ever happens!

Response by TSgt Sandra V. made May 21 at 2018 9:14 AM

TSgt Sandra V. — Mon, 21 May 2018 09:14:40 -0400

Very well stated, and as one who worked in Embassies also, I can personally state their level of security is amazing. It's a "normal day at the office" for most foreign service workers, however; it think it would seem more like sending their kids to a prison for the average American Joe and Jane. I am all for beefing up security at schools (my child is well beyond school age), hiring veterans or volunteers as resource officers, and just increasing the level of physical security at schools overall (walls, screening devices, etc). I think we are going to see a trend of a lot more folks trying to home-school their kids. All the increases in security measures as schools will cause increases in taxes. Homes with two working parents will probably start weighing the advantages and disadvantages of having two incomes, especially if the majority of one of them is going solely to pay for the increased taxes and other expenditures related to school security. Personally, I see nothing wrong with that trend, as I personally believe that parents have left the reins of raising their children to the schools anyway. Parents need to take back the full responsibility of raising fully-function human beings to adulthood; including the respect for others, respect for law enforcement, respect for rules and regulations, and respect for,last but not least, their COUNTRY!

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 21 at 2018 9:43 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 21 May 2018 09:43:43 -0400

Here is another option. If someone's kid goes to school with a weapon, BOTH parents go to jail with their kid, if the kid is shot and killed or kills themselves during this shooting, the parents are up for the death penalty. If they have other kids that will now be without parents, then they may have wanted to think about that BEFORE they ignored their other kid. You might have parents actually paying attention to their kid BEFORE they do something this insane. You never hear about anything happening to the parents of these idiots. Why should they get a pass? they raised this moron, and did nothing to get them the help they evidently need. Because they either don't care or they don't know.

Response by MSgt Brian Williams made May 23 at 2018 5:53 PM

MSgt Brian Williams — Wed, 23 May 2018 17:53:30 -0400

"First, we start with the building to be protected being placed far away from any streets. How far? Far enough that if a car blew up on the street nothing would happen to the building. "
- Not a practical solutions as schools in urban areas don't have the luxury of being able to carve out space to be far enough away from streets to prevent damage if a car bomb blew up. And doesn't the blast radius depend on the size of the bomb? And is that really a deterrent for someone hell bent on getting inside the school to shoot people? Imagine a shooter saying, "Damn, the school is all the way over there. I can't get there from here."

The School where I coach is in total lockdown mode as soon as the staff starts to arrive. It is that way for the entire day with the exception of student arrivals and dismissals. The only people with unfettered access are staff and students and therein lies the problem. The shootings have all been committed by insiders. I do agree that there needs to be metal detectors but I would include bag searches by the school resource officers at all entrances and everyone must be pass thru before entrance. Additional police officers would be required especially during arrival and dismissals. Additionally, once the location of an active shooter has been identified, I think there has to be a way to isolate the shooter in the hallways away from the rest of the building. Stronger doors will prevent an active shooter from access to classrooms and other potential victims.

Again in the school where I coach there are two SROs. I can the validity to increase that number to 3 during the day and 5-6 during dismissals.

It's sad but every public school system needs to have their security budget as a separate line item and bumped up.

Response by MSG Danny Mathers made May 24 at 2018 6:18 PM

MSG Danny Mathers — Thu, 24 May 2018 18:18:03 -0400

Use the TSA model., list prohibited items, go through a validation check to determine if the kid is a current student, with a card/ID reader, metal detectior and at least two uniformed guards, one watching and the other processing the kids through. Teachers would be main part of the screening process. This would make the entry process quicker. Make it known to all that some of the teachers have concealed firearms even if they don't. A Police officer would maintain high visibiliy in the parking lot. Security is not just responding but to provide preventative atmosphere. Opinions vary of course....

Response by CPT Ricky Riley made May 24 at 2018 7:38 PM

CPT Ricky Riley — Thu, 24 May 2018 19:38:27 -0400

I like your thinking, see my comment on the previous article.

Response by PFC Flor Gomez made Jun 1 at 2018 2:59 PM

PFC Flor Gomez — Fri, 01 Jun 2018 14:59:31 -0400

or even better yet....home school. Oh but parents work, well then just move to the mountains and live off the land away from everyone. But then you have lions and tigers and bears. lol Its not a laughing matter but honestly just bring the bible back to the schools IMO! Civility is out the door these days build up morality that's a NO BRAINER! And guess what it costs NOTHING!

Response by SFC Alan Candia made Jun 3 at 2018 1:26 AM

SFC Alan Candia — Sun, 03 Jun 2018 01:26:30 -0400

Gun violence in schools may not be "controlled". Military bases have been attacked. Banks have been robbed. Prisons have riots. Stores get robbed. What do they all have in common...armed guards.
Signs, media, armed guards, armed teachers may deter a would be shooter, until they find an entry point which can be breached, or change their intended target.
Our kids need protection, and the answers may not be in safe rooms, buckets of rocks, bats, barricades, guns, training, police presence, or metal detectors...but something might save their lives.
The first thing to do right would be to tone down the media, stop the sensationalism of the massacres, and quit talking about gun control. Gun control discussions sparked a rush on purchasing guns and ammunition and acquiring licenses to carry.

Response by PO1 Tom Follis made Jun 4 at 2018 8:55 PM

PO1 Tom Follis — Mon, 04 Jun 2018 20:55:34 -0400

Agree with you 110%. Spent 5 years with military law enforcement and 11 years with ships security force. There are thousands of retired military out here with nothing to do and are very capable of providing security for schools. Guess protecting our schools and children aren’t really that high on the list of priorities.

Response by CMSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 14 at 2018 9:29 PM

CMSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 21:29:53 -0400

Spot on article on the school shooting issue in this country! Why is it that most countries have armed guards in the schools other than here in the gods old USA? Wake up folks, bad people are bad and we need to defend our prescious resource(children) from getting hurt!

Response by Cpl Billy Nichols made Jun 17 at 2018 3:52 PM

Cpl Billy Nichols — Sun, 17 Jun 2018 15:52:44 -0400

As a police officer know in life. I have worked effortlessly in my schools and every time I bring up simple solutions they ge shoot down. The reason is always money or ( one of the biggest problems) the school system from top to bottom are of a liberal mind set and simply can’t wrap their heads around denying access to any location or God for bid if they actually had to take the time to enter a secure area.

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Jun 19 at 2018 7:30 AM

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth — Tue, 19 Jun 2018 07:30:09 -0400

Thank you for the view point sir.

Response by CPT Brad Wilson made Jun 24 at 2018 3:18 PM

CPT Brad Wilson — Sun, 24 Jun 2018 15:18:19 -0400

So true The harder we make the target the less chance there is that it will be hit. The parking will be hard for existing buildings but could be easily incorporated in new construction. The magnetic locks are probably pretty easy and cost effective. The quick reaction Force is too much for schools but local police could and should conduct training at all the schools in their areas to become familiar with them. Hardened door in all classrooms and limited access points are easy to do

Response by SFC Jim Dorsey made Jun 29 at 2018 8:53 AM

SFC Jim Dorsey — Fri, 29 Jun 2018 08:53:52 -0400

Great story, we gotta harden the “target”. But we can’t fix the libs

Response by LTC John Bush made Jun 30 at 2018 8:31 AM

LTC John Bush — Sat, 30 Jun 2018 08:31:04 -0400

Good points and I presume there is a lot more you did not cover. Passive security measures and a well understood plan in conjunction with local police and possibly armed guards ae solution that can be developed and applied locally. Waiting for state and federal politicians to come up with a solution is useless.

Response by PVT Raymond Lopez made Jul 2 at 2018 7:06 AM

PVT Raymond Lopez — Mon, 02 Jul 2018 07:06:21 -0400

It makes perfect sense and it can be done quite inexpensively I don’t want to be mean but I have spent my whole life since I was seventeen years old in the military and law enforcement and I have lost count of the number of times I sworn an Oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies foreign and domestic I have been shot at and missed and shot at and hit. Down here we have so many retired law enforcement officers and retired military veterans that you could get them to do the protection for the kids for free! THE WIVES WOULD BE SAYING PLEASE GET HIM OUT OF THE HOUSE HE IS DRIVING ME STARK RAVING MAD!!!!!

Response by SFC Ralph E Kelley made Jul 2 at 2018 8:29 AM

SFC Ralph E Kelley — Mon, 02 Jul 2018 08:29:32 -0400

An accurate assessment.

Response by 1SG Michael Farrell made Jul 4 at 2018 3:27 PM

1SG Michael Farrell — Wed, 04 Jul 2018 15:27:45 -0400

I was asked once in my HR Guru role how to prevent harassment. Besides replacing people with robots, the only absolute solution I could come up with, and I did in fact give it some thought, was to have everybody -- EVERYBODY -- dress in Burkas, the ones with the cloth over the eyes and to minimize interaction between people to the largest extent possible. Told that was impossible, I said that so was the task. Let's redefine it.
I like the idea of focusing on the site and on the grounds. I also like the idea of school uniforms to preclude Piper and Pipette from wearing "tactical" pants and black raincoats with shotguns and AR15s concealed underneath. Realistically, reducing the number of rounds available without reloading will reduce the time the shooter is shooting while either attacking or defending him or herself. But, ultimately it comes down to resources. A platoon of Marine Embassy Guards was the norm for a long time; costs reduced that to a lot of outsourced or civilian employee security forces. Given my choice, no constraints, I want the platoon of jarheads as opposed to ACME Security Specialists or whomever. But, that's X number of war fighters at a lot more money than anyone wants to spend.
Same of course, with schools, perhaps to some absurd degree. But, I think the SWOT analysis (Strength/Weakness, Opportunity/Threat) analysis should definitely look at the school (or other target) from both the perspective of a likely attacker.
And then, figure out what priority socially and budgetarily you've got here and then do what needs to be done.
In other words, whether for schools, or embassies or military bases or our infrastructure, security needs more money spent wisely and fewer thoughts and prayers. Whenever I see the colors at half staff, I like to check immediately as to why. It's surprising how often it's not for anything militarily or historically related to the American experiment and it's protection, and how often to mourn the dead caused by another obsessive, spiteful and confused citizen.

Response by SPC Timothy Steffen made Jul 12 at 2018 6:10 PM

SPC Timothy Steffen — Thu, 12 Jul 2018 18:10:31 -0400

So lets start out by going after NRA and its members and Supporters and tax the snot out of them. If you need more then 1 Bullet to kill a Deer your doing it wrong. So why would anyone need a 100 round clip

Response by PO3 Don Goracke made Jul 15 at 2018 8:16 PM

PO3 Don Goracke — Sun, 15 Jul 2018 20:16:16 -0400

Hire honorably discharged vets to defend again!

Response by PO1 William Price made Jul 18 at 2018 12:54 AM

PO1 William Price — Wed, 18 Jul 2018 00:54:13 -0400

I have spent the last 17 years working at various US embassy's and consulates around the world and have often thought that the security model we use would be a great model that could be adapted for schools. The basic premise of embassy security is not to let the bad guy inside the mission's grounds. Same with schools, you need to prevent the gun from getting in the front door. I don't care how many armed guards you have inside the school, get one determined student inside with a gun, chances are somebody is going to die before the armed guard can get to him. However, if you have a security/scanning protocol in place to prevent the gun from entering the school's front door in the first place, then you have the battle won.
The one thing I would like to clarify with your statement is that while the MSG's primary responsibility is inside the embassy grounds the Regional Security Officer who has the ultimate responsibility for the embassy's security does have teams working outside of the embassy grounds preforming various preventive measures to try and stop an attack before it happens.

Response by SGT Chuck Xaudaro made Jul 28 at 2018 7:52 PM

SGT Chuck Xaudaro — Sat, 28 Jul 2018 19:52:56 -0400

In high school I went to Peacock Military Academy in San Antonio, Texas. We all had M-1 Garands from WW2 and Korea. No one ever shot at us.

Response by CPL Douglas Chrysler made Aug 2 at 2018 5:59 PM

CPL Douglas Chrysler — Thu, 02 Aug 2018 17:59:44 -0400

You are the expert and I like the direction you are taking. That is to say I'm glad I didn't see any attack on the constitution. But, I think you take a little over the top. When I was in school, all the doors only had latches on the inside and classroom doors were on each side so if a student opened an outside door to let someone in a teacher noticed. In those days teachers were like police almost so woe be It to anyone opening a door to the outside.
I just think doors like that and a few armed personnel would be enough. Like I said though, you're the expert.

Response by Cpl Chris Rhodes made Aug 6 at 2018 2:58 PM

Cpl Chris Rhodes — Mon, 06 Aug 2018 14:58:29 -0400

Fully agree with your post. One way that they could both combat the cost and deter shooters is A) Having a police department for the school district. I have seen this in parts of Texas and it works. You have a few police officers at each school that knows the ins and outs of the school that they are assigned to and also train religiously for active shooters and then if something happens there are multiple officers out on patrol that could respond immediately that also have trained at the schools for this situation. B) Having teachers that have training and also that have a CCW permit to be armed and to train in their school for these situations. C) Build schools like the embassies that we have across the world guarded by Marines.

Response by Cpl Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 7 at 2018 9:50 PM

Cpl Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 07 Aug 2018 21:50:49 -0400

I agree 100%. I have no doubt anyone with a true interest in solving the problem would disagree either. Sadly though, it seems like people are more fixated on getting rid firearms as a whole than they are actually solving the problem, enabling them to ride on the school shooting wave to push their agenda. In fact, my old highschool was pushing to have the school resource officers disarmed and rely solely on a lazy contract security company that seemed more focused on keeping students from leaving without a pass rather than keeping the grounds secure. Which is apparently fine with the parents, who are so disgusted with the reality that every problem can’t be solved peacefully and are willing to sacrifice thier childrens' safety to hop on the anti-firearm fan wagon.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 22 at 2018 12:27 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 22 Sep 2018 12:27:14 -0400

I'm not so sure that physical security measures are really in question. School buildings have existed longer than the prevalence of a motive for someone to bring a gun to school and shoot other people.

Response by Sgt Frank Staples made Sep 28 at 2018 2:56 PM

Sgt Frank Staples — Fri, 28 Sep 2018 14:56:59 -0400

An armed response beats no response every day! That was a fantastic commentary and totally true. I'm a law abiding citizen who owns firearms and I'm on the good side of the law...but I have no idea what I'll be tomorrow...I may become a raving lunatic tonight after hearing that the democrats have voted to take over the country and start shooting up every blue car, truck, etc. in sight. So the best defense it to keep me away from all things blue!

Response by COL Mo Fenner made Oct 28 at 2018 8:50 PM

COL Mo Fenner — Sun, 28 Oct 2018 20:50:54 -0400

One scenario that this doesn't help is when a student already has a gun inside the school. You need a way to stop that too. It is a simple fix but not mentioned. I often point out to people that the existing gun laws are enough. They need to enforce those laws to include not selling weapons to those with mental illnesses. Spend the money to treat the illnesses before they become a problem. More people die every day from suicide than from murders.

Response by LTC John Wilson made Nov 17 at 2018 12:21 AM

LTC John Wilson — Sat, 17 Nov 2018 00:21:13 -0500

Point well taken; however -- in contrast to your Embassy scenario -- in nearly EVERY case involving a School Shooting (which are actually in decline, by the way), there were ample warning signs from and common, measurable traits among the perpetrators...there is enough, knowable information that makes these assaults namable and predictable if we initiate sound counterintelligence principles.

All that is required is that we -- as stated in the book "Left of Bang" -- categorize and monitor the Red Flags...and when you have 2-3 or more Red Flags, you act preemptively. There are many interventions that may be taken once a potential shooter is identified, and their particular school can be "hardened" as required once the indicators are present...making the security layers unpredictable and more of a deterrent.

Response by SFC James Asbill made May 2 at 2019 10:44 PM

SFC James Asbill — Thu, 02 May 2019 22:44:01 -0400

Well presented ..

Response by SSG Phil Miller made May 9 at 2019 10:34 PM

SSG Phil Miller — Thu, 09 May 2019 22:34:39 -0400

Maybe we could also post the 10 Commandments at every school too. After all, schools are NOT Congress, and Congress is the only entity prohibited from creating a State religion. The Constitution says we can freely practice our religion anywhere we want. What better place to teach people to respect their parents and not to murder? Is it really wrong to say, "Don't commit adultery?"
Bring God back to school. That will help.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 2 at 2019 5:46 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 02 Dec 2019 05:46:03 -0500

A child is significantly more likely to die playing school sports than in a school shooting. Too many people can't effectively prioritize threats. We have already spent more money addressing school shootings than a vulnerability assessment would justify.

Response by SPC Alexander Correale made Aug 13 at 2020 4:22 PM

SPC Alexander Correale — Thu, 13 Aug 2020 16:22:14 -0400

I mean the way it is slowly becoming, schools look more like prisons than actual schools. Which is where/when focus is directed at threats such as the gun or the individual. They need to punish the bullies for starters and not the victim, that would be a good start. But these tragedies are also turned political to push certain policies instead of focusing on the real problems.

Response by SFC Melvin Brandenburg made Feb 1 at 2021 12:56 PM

SFC Melvin Brandenburg — Mon, 01 Feb 2021 12:56:43 -0500

How about we focus on putting liberty first. How about we focus on hearing redress of grievances. How about we focus on not marginalizing each other. Because that is the frustration many people feel