Thoughts on US Armed Forces guarding schools?

I believe this is the correct forum to post this in. Mods, please move this thread if this is not the case. Thank you.

Heads Up: I ask that this thread doesn't veer off topic into another guns debate. That is not what I'm posting about.

After the latest school shooting, I was thinking on the statement President Obama made about the US being the only civilized country where there are school shootings. I'm as appalled as he is over this.

I started thinking of a possible deterrent to these school shootings. As a 20 year Navy veteran, I think it would be doable to have our active duty, guard, and reserves guarding all public schools in the country. Since things are winding down in other hotspots. This leaves many who need something constructive to do. I think just the sight of Marines at a school will keep a lot of these dirtbags away.

Yeah, this would be a bit drastic, and there will be those who feel this country is already too militant. But I think this would be a good idea.

What do you all think about this? I'm prepared for a good debate on this. Please keep it civil.

Life as we know it...

Has ended.

Absolutely not. It would be a waste of resources.

There are 44,000 schools in the US. The chances of any particular school being attacked are lower than your chances of getting attacked by a grizzly and a polar bear in the same day.

To say that violence doesn't happen at schools is not correct. You haven't been paying attention to the middle east issues if you are saying that, or even other third world countries.

Children should not be going to school in a place surrounded by armed military. That kind of environment would be scary and not conducive to learning.

What the gun nuts always look over, is the fact that during the Sandy Hook tragedy, a teacher saved an entire classroom just by using her brain and outsmarting the perp.

The answer to handle this smarter, not the knee jerk reaction of more guns. The only thing that will happen is that you will have far more accidents from the guns that are there than from a terrorist.

a reply to: Jefferton

Bull. I know that the general mentality is that society has gotten worse. It has actually gotten better. Crime is at a 60 year low.

I have family members that are researchers and if you look at newspapers from the turn of the 19/20th century. It is the same crimes, nothing is new.

If you ever have a chance to visit the Birdcage in Tombstone, you can see the bullet holes all around the walls. There was a funeral every single day. Yet we idolize the wild west and the murderers, but forget that those people would of been every bit as terrorized as we are today.

No, nothing has changed, there is just a lot less of it.

a reply to: ChiefD

The use of the US Military in a Law Enforcement role is prohibited. en.wikipedia.org...

The use of the National Guard can be used in some ways, along with Reserves, but requires I believe a special action by the Governor and possibly due to a disaster.

a reply to: macman

Thank you for saying this. Rule against the military operating in this capacity are boiled into their "rules" (for lack of a better word).

Any guard is just the first target and even if they were not they run into the same problem police do, like the officers at Columbine. Chaos with kids running all over and no idea who is the shooter or if more than one shooter exists means your just going to end shooting the wrong person or getting shot yourself.

a reply to: ChiefD

The title of your thread i would expect from a third world country.

2nd

Nope. It's not the military's job to be police. Let the teachers carry a weapon and lock the doors.

a reply to: ChiefD

Or, another possibility, convert all of the Public Schools into Boarding Schools with facilities located in the rural counties surrounding the metro areas. Those facilities could be easily secured such that no one could come in or go out without security clearance. Gets the kids out of the cities and it would end the practice of all those annoying school zones in the cities.

Ah No.

There's no reason children need to be exposed to armed forces.

Period.

~Tenth

a reply to: tothetenthpower

Yeah. They should be deathly afraid of such things and never allowed to even see them. Or draw them.

Because hiding something from kids has always worked out.

Damn straight.

a reply to: macman

That's obviously not what I meant and you know it.

I simply meant you do not have to expose children to armed guards to protect them in their schools. If anything it should be LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT, like they have now. I don't have an issue with guards at a school, not what so ever.

I do have a problem with having the military walking around among civilians doing the work that police should be doing just fine on their own.

~Tenth

originally posted by: skunkape23
Nope. It's not the military's job to be police. Let the teachers carry a weapon and lock the doors.

It's not the educators job to be police. Let the schools who feel the need invest in off duty police as guards if needed.

EDIT: Putting soldiers in schools is not something I would like to see happen, our violent crime rate has been dropping yearly, but people (and LEOs) act as if it has been growing at an alarming rate (I thank the media for the false narrative).

originally posted by: alldaylong
a reply to: ChiefD

The title of your thread i would expect from a third world country.

2nd

You mean like the late brittish empire?
2nd.

a reply to: tothetenthpower
Well, I read your original statement wrong. My apologizes. Thought it stated they should not be exposed to firearms.


Been a long day.

I don't think I've ever heard it put better than Bruce Willis's character words it here. He starts speaking around 1:26, and I sincerely believe that says it all, for reasons that are as accurate in reality as they were in the movie context.

originally posted by: TDawg61

originally posted by: alldaylong
a reply to: ChiefD

The title of your thread i would expect from a third world country.

2nd

You mean like the late brittish empire?
2nd.

British Empire was past History
This is The U.S. TODAY

Do keep up old boy.

If we need a military presence at schools its over.No child should have to have an armed guard to get an education.Also I would home school if possible.I couldn't imagine a parent worrying if their child would be shot at school when seeing them off everyday.

The easiest, most obvious and most effective solution is to end "gun free" school zones. People who carry concealed weapons are around men, women and children constantly, why is a school any different?

But they will never allow it simply because it further empowers freedom (vs dependency on the State) and the 2A.