Guns, Schools, and the NRA

What can I say that has not already been said about the shooting at the Connecticut elementary school? So many positive touching tributes had already been posted. Two of my favorites has been first a photo of the perpetually smiling Mr. Rogers with a beaming child and his reminder that in every tragedy we need to look for the helpers, because the helpers show our true selves. A second favorite has been a viral tweet from NBC broadcast journalist, Ann Curry, who suggested we ought to volunteer 26 acts of kindness as a memorial to those who were killed. Since Sunday, according to NBC, over 167,000 tributes have been posted to #26ACTS.

That, I thought, was enough. No more words were needed. Such a crime cannot be undone, and all we can do is pledge to try to make the world a better place. Let Newtown mourn in peace.

Then came Friday's bizarre NRA news conference. NRA spokesman, Wayne LaPierre, took the occasion of the one-week anniversary of the shooting, while teachers and students were still being buried in Newtown, CT, to say that the NRA opposes any gun laws: "the only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun." How does one do that? asks the inquiring mind. LaPierre said the answer to gun violence in schools is an armed security force that can protect students, made up of trained volunteers stationed at every school across the country.

No, this newscast couldn't be true. Even the NRA has more sense than making a statement like that at a time like this. I double-checked the initial reports, because I thought this had to be a parody penned by The Onion, the irreverent newspaper satire from Madison, WI. But no, to my disbelief, this was an actual event staged by an obviously deranged publicist. To not tear into this idiocy would be to disrespect the memory of the Newtown students and teachers.

Trained, armed volunteers in every school? Why trouble with Mr. Rogers, with acts of kindness, the NRA seems to say, when we have superior weaponry? Well, following NRA logic, why stop with a single armed officer in every school? Why not arm every individual classroom? Why not arm every temple, church and mosque? Why not arm every shopping center and movie theater, and fast food place and neighborhood spa. Perhaps even Santa and his elves should be packing. Prince of Peace: phaaaa!

Twitter contributor, Adrian Eversoll, posting to #NRA, pointed out that the NRA's theory of superior firepower did not protect the sites of three other mass shootings. He wrote, "Columbine had an armed guard. Virginia Tech had a police department. And Fort Hood had the military." How many more guns are needed to protect us? Earth to NRA: escalating the threat of violence in schools and in society is not the answer.