No, I expect my elected officials to do something more than nothing and I have communicated that directly to them. This is what I emailed to Senators Inhofe and Lankford and my representative Tom Cole. I do more than just bitch and whine on a message board. How about YOU?
"In light of the most recent school shooting in Florida, I am writing you to request immediate action from Congress to address what I see are glaring deficiencies in school security that allow these types of events to continue to happen. As a father of two teenage daughters and a career paramedic, these types of mass shootings trouble me deeply. Although I believe that no one thing will completely solve the issue, I do believe that Congress can begin to address the deficiencies in security that allow these shootings to continue unabated.
I believe Congress should act immediately to provide significant federal funding for school security. Schools should have controlled access to prevent the entry of people wishing to harm our children and should have an adequate number of trained and armed officers to confront any threat. It's very frustrating to know that I can't walk into the Oklahoma State Department of Health building to get a birth certificate without going through a security checkpoint that has a metal detector and x-ray machine, but I can walk into the schools of both of my daughters unimpeded. I have asked my local school officials why more isn't done to secure the district's schools and the answer has been "no funding."
The first line of defense in any potential mass shooting event is control of access. If a shooter can enter a school without difficulty, we've resigned ourselves to counting bodies. By providing significant federal funding to help schools afford effective access control, in terms of both physical technology and trained manpower, I believe that the first and most important step in preventing mass shootings in our schools will largely be accomplished. Large corporations are able to afford access control for their properties and employees, and our schools should be no different.
I know the national conversation and debate will revolve around gun control. It always does. While I do believe there are policy changes regarding gun ownership that can help in the long term, such as requiring permits similar to concealed carry to own firearms and limitations to magazine size in semi-automatic weapons, I firmly believe that Congress needs to focus on the security of our schools as an immediate and effective solution."
If you don't know how to contact your elected representatives, here's an easy way to start.
https://whoismyrepresentative.com/
