We must protect our children and their teachers. Not everyone can handle a gun. But anyone can use a shield!
How to Stop An Active School Shooter
This proposal to protect our schools does not, nor will not, address the many causes of a school shooting. It is only an idea for addressing the scenario of a shooter that is already in place when lives are already at risk. This idea was never intended to stop school shootings, it was designed to stop an actual shooter.
I believe we can all agree that the phenomenon of school shootings can not be stopped beforehand in most situations. There are simply too many to anticipate and stop. But this does not mean that we must respond with drastic measures. Nor give up hope that we can do something about it.
This proposal also lets us avoid putting armed guards in schools at greater risk and expense than need be.
The idea is very simple: Issue every teacher or adult staff, a single, bulletproof, military grade riot shield. One that covers them from knee to head.
In almost every school shooting scenario so far, the adults closest to the shooter have tried, heroically and in vain, to rush the shooter. Without any protection from the shots at all. It seems counter-intuitive to anticipate rushing a shooter, and yet, that is exactly what must happen, and what does happen, every time.
If the adults in this scenario have a riot shield, they could run directly at the shooter, and be fired on from point blank range, without getting shot. The idea is being able to get your hands on them, without taking a mortal wound.
I understand this idea raises the questions of then physically making contact with the shooter. But you would do so from behind the shield. A singular adult slamming into them with a shield can throw the shooter off their feet or pin them to a wall. The typical shooter is usually a student, so you are mostly looking at grappling with a young kid.
There is no way to protect the feet of the teacher behind the shield, but using the shields length and ducking behind it so that it sweeps closer to the floor is the only protection possible. Even fully geared Riot Police can not avoid this vulnerability though, so we must consider it to be a moot point.
If more than one teacher rushes the shooter, they can form a circle of shields to 'crush' the shooter in between them. The shields will then help contain the shooter and isolate him if he tries blindly firing in panic.
Unlike a gun, the shooter obtaining a shield is not a problem. In fact such a large shield would hinder the shooters movements and limit his own range of fire.
This idea was to only put teachers behind shields to rush an active shooter, but considering the ease of their use and ability to openly store them in classrooms we can put several in each room, extra ones for the kids to shelter behind in the event of an active shooting scenario.
Also, these shields are the most cost effective solution. Modifying buildings and hiring armed guards is simply not realistic. This nation almost certainly already has a stockpile of them in military storage.They can be manufactured relatively cheaply. Far less than the cost of any other proposed solution.
This idea will not save every life, but I truly believe it can save many. Simply issue teachers riots shields and give them something real to shelter behind and put their faith in.