The shooting in Newtown, Conn., has excited the chattering classes again about gun control. "Are we ready to have a serious discussion about gun control?" they say. The truth is, we've been having a serious discussion about gun control for years, and the people who want to restrict gun ownership have lost.
Even the latest round of Gallup polls showing a spike in public opinion for stricter gun laws will pass quickly. Americans like (shall we say, "cling to"?) their guns, and murdering innocents in random violence is unlikely to change that.Here in North Texas, we had our own gun scare the same week as the tragedy in Newtown. With End of the World jokes proliferating on social media like Texas children willing it to snow before Christmas, it was inevitable that someone would start a school shooting rumor. This rumor originally pegged the gun violence to Dec. 21, the day the world was supposed to end according to the Mayan calendar. After a week of this rumor, the date was moved up to Dec. 10.The administrators at the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw school district and the principals at the schools took these threats seriously. The principals of the high schools sent home letters to parents warning them of the rumor. The school district placed robocalls to homes so parents who didn't receive or read the letters were informed of the threat.On Dec. 10, local police set up war rooms in the high schools and prepared strategies for patrolling hallways and investigating the sources of the rumor. If someone did have plans for violence at one of our schools, their minds would have been changed because the school district, local law enforcement and authorities at each school took action to protect the children. No one was hurt that day.As a parent, I worry about violence of all sorts in the schools. We do live in a violence-endorsing culture that glorifies horrific, gruesome crimes in our entertainment, including television shows, movies, music and games. But these things aren't to blame for gunmen shooting innocent people in gun-free zones. Nor are the millions of responsible gun owners in this country, who follow the law and use caution when using their firearms.Gun control supporters nationally have seized the Newtown tragedy to scream for new gun laws, as if creating more red tape and restrictions on law-abiding gun ownership will prevent criminals or mentally ill persons from committing crimes. Restricting the number of bullets in a clip or banning certain rifles (rarely used in crimes) won't stop school shootings. Armed security in schools will.I am not proposing SWAT teams in every school. The expense alone would crush any school district. But having two guards, one to patrol and one to watch the school's main entrance, will provide the security our children need each day. Gun-free zone laws have created the perfect environment for mass shootings. It's time we parents demand the security that will ensure our children's safety in school.Sharon Hatfield King of Fort Worth is a freelance writer and editor. llanfair3@yahoo.comHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
