Opinion: Armed guards in schools will protect children

Debates on gun control have continued to reach fill headlines day, after day, after day, and not without good reason. It is an issue that should be considered in depth because it affects the entire country in a very personal way. Then, when you dig deeper into the issue to begin talking about guns in relation to school shootings, it becomes an even more difficult topic. However, that does not mean it should be shied away from in any way. The protection of children should be our number one priority, especially when it means protecting them in an education environment. It has been discussed, and now there is a plan. But it is still not quite enough.On April 2, former Republican congressman from Arkansas, Asa Hutchinson, presented the NRA’s plan to add security to schools by training and arming security guards and placing them at every school in the nation. The rifle association will fund the project, but it is said to be independent. The project has been created through the work of a task force lead by Hutchinson, and it has been at least three months in the making.There are several reasons why this is a great plan, and a plan that should be pursued.First of all, it is a plan in itself. If absolutely nothing else, this will be a plan that can act as a starting point to fixing a horrific problem.  It may not be a perfect solution to begin with, but it is at least a solution. That in itself is more than what schools have now. This plan can be changed and molded to better fit the circumstances, but there must be a starting point.Second, it will create an immediate response team in case of an emergency. If, by chance, a shooter did get into a school, this team of guards would be present and prepared to handle the situation. Let’s look at a middle school in Atlanta, Georgia, for example. In Jan. 2013, an armed student came into the school and shot another student in the neck. However, the armed student was stopped by an armed resource officer before he could hurt anyone else. The injured student was alert and breathing when he was taken to the hospital, and wasn’t expected to have any life-threatening injuries. Having an armed officer at the school stopped the shooter before any more damage could be done. This is not an isolated incident either. In Hutchinson’s release of the plan, he cited an example of a shooter being stopped because the assistant principal ran to his vehicle to grab a gun he had. The bottom line is simple: having armed personnel on site would increase the likelihood of saving more lives in the case of a school shooting.Finally, and arguably most importantly, having armed guards at every school will act as a deterrent. Not only will the guards act as a deterrent because they represent punishment that is sure to ensue, but they will also act as a deterrent in the sense that there is an increase in likelihood that the shooter will not be able to accomplish what he or she is hoping to do.This is a start. This plan is a much needed start to an awful problem. However, it is not the only issue that needs to be considered. While this plan is good, it is easing the symptoms without diagnosing the problem. It is like taking ibuprofen for a broken arm without getting a cast. The cast is still needed. The root of the issue needs to be examined more closely. And so, alongside enhanced protection at schools, programs to enhance mental health also need to be looked into. It is not enough to put guards in schools, because there will still be threats of school shootings, and there is still a chance that the guards could fail. Programs designed to help those with mental issues, as well as programs to recognize the signs of these issues, need to be looked at alongside additional protection. We need both in order to have a real solution.