Why One School Shooting Every Week in America is No Cause for Panic

ABOUT ONCE A WEEK. That’s how often a school shooting occurs in the United States.

That sounds like a lot, but really, when you think about the thousands of schools and millions of students and all the hours in a school day, it’s not much. Not bad at all.

Just once a week.

That’s not a cause for panic. We go to the dry cleaners once week, go grocery shopping, watch our favorite reality show, see a movie, go to our house of worship. A lot of things, very common things, happen just once a week.

School shootings are simply one more common, weekly thing. We’ve learned to live with them, like we live with driving. Drunk drivers are more of a threat than being shot in homeroom, right? A drunk driver could kill you any time – but a student only gets killed about once a week. Pretty decent odds.

This doesn’t mean we can’t take more precautions. We can’t remove the guns – not in America – but we can take steps to protect our kids’ freedoms when going to class.

• More security guards at all schools, for example. And not the “rent-a-cops” you typically see but real cops, former Marines or Special Forces, the badass dudes straight from central casting. And no concealed handguns – give them automatic weapons, let the cold steel twinkle in the light of day and serve notice that violence will be met with all the force of heaven.

• We should have full-body scan machines like we have at airports. Not one student enters a campus without a full scan, every day, followed by a pat down if needed.

• All students should be tagged with electronic devices so they can be tracked at all times. This is for their safety and protection.

• Dress codes should make Kevlar vests mandatory. I’m sure that once this is a requirement, the industry will develop new, fashionable clothing that’s as attractive as it is protective.

• And all teachers, administrators, custodians and coaches need to carry guns. An overwhelming show of force is the best way to deter crime, calm nerves and ensure a peaceful, stress-free learning environment.

These simple steps aren’t too much to ask. They are a small price to pay for freedom.

Then again, maybe it’s not a big deal.

After all, school shootings happen just once a week. Like college football, date night with your spouse, happy hour with the gang from work. Things that happen once a week are normal, expected.

Like a new movie opening, like a Sunday backyard barbecue, like taking out the trash.

Like a child dying for the crime of going to school.

Until that child is yours.