These things happen in places like schools because the shooter knows nobody there is armed. Schools are one situation where our consitutional right is taken away. You are not allowed to defend yourself at school. Time and again this kind of mentality gets people killed. Yeah, there are campus police but when seconds count the police are minutes away. This is a workplace violence situation, not your typical school shooting. Still tragic but you can't blame guns. Everyone wants to blame guns, but it is the idiot behind the gun that should be blamed.
I don't know about others, Rick, but I would never "blame" a piece of metal for anything, and "blaming" the shooter doesn't seem to help the victims or the problem.
On the issue of allowing students to carry arms in college (or did you literally mean "school," as in HS?), though, you are seriously at odds with law enforcement officials.
As regards the law, in Texas, a school superintendent of a rural district has authorized specified teachers to carry concealed guns. In AZ you can carry one in any school premises, even when children are in class if you have permission of the principal.
Why anyone with a handgun who has never shot an unarmed person in his life would expect to best a perp often armed with multiple weapons including semi automatic rifles, and who enjoys killing, I cannot imagine.
The reason for law enforcement's alarm at the idea of people like you or me carrying in college so that we can let fly at "bad guys" is pretty straightforward.
First, if a shooting is in progress, and both good and bad guys are brandishing weapons, how do you keep score? Ask them?
Secondly, the one that really makes law enforcement officers cringe is that if they hear that there is a shooter loose in a college and then find half a dozen civilians holding guns, what do they do? The officer yells at the gun carrier to drop his gun and get on the floor. He will then have to deal with the guy (he certainly won't release him) while he should be dealing with the real shooter. Perhaps the guy with the gun yells, "It's OK officer, I'm on your side" (high adrenaline and a shooting situation breed bad decisions) and moves toward the sound of shooting. The officer issues a second warning and the excited boy (or is he the perp?) turns toward the officer with his gun still raised. Obviously, the officer is obliged to shoot him dead. More paperwork.
Thirdly, in another part of the campus, two armed "good guys" see each other, order each other to drop their guns (just like on TV) and and open fire. Two more bodies to account for.
But here's the saddest scenario of all. A good guy opens up on the bad guy and accidentally kills a fellow student (even trained police do this on occasion). He has added to the death toll, will certainly be indicted for negligent homicide and will face a wrongful death suit from the girl's parents.
On this one, I tend to agree with law enforcement.
Why the heck did she kill a bunch of faculty members over not getting tenure? My graduate student friend was sitting in his office right next to the meeting room when he heard someone shout, "Amy we can help you" and then he heard gun shots.... He locked himself in his office until the police showed up. It's insane, and I would have never imagined it happening here. I just don't understand....
