Opinion
Ft Collins, CO –-(Ammoland.com)- A Bright Spot in School Security
From a friend and SRO in the Midwest:
“As an SRO (School Resource Officer, armed police officer assigned to a public school), I work at a school and am charged with keeping school staff and students from harm, even when that necessitates the application of force, including deadly force.
First week on the job, I walked-off all the school’s hallways in order to determine what distances might be involved when I’m forced to shoot a dangerous felon within the school building.
Longest distance was 100m. ‘Typical’ distances were point-blank to 20m
As one of your students, I am a competent pistol-shooter, but a 100m shot with my S&W M&P is not something I’m likely to attempt, particularly when the threat is mixed-in with innocents.
After the FL school shooting last February, I approached the school superintendent, along with the entire school board, and offered my resolution:
I asked them to mount a bio-metric gun-safe in my office at the school and secure my patrol rifle there, so I can get to it quickly when necessary. I explained that, as so secured, the rifle will be otherwise out of sight, and out of conversation.
My patrol rifle is equipped with magnifying optics, as well as a silencer, so that I can clearly see a developing situation 100m away, and then precisely hit a threat at that distance, without endangering innocents nearby, and without making a lot of panic-inducing noise.. I don’t have anywhere near that capability with my iron-sighted pistol.
I must have been persuasive, because the superintendent, supported by nearly the entire board, approved my plan and even paid for the safe and installation!
At least one member of the board, a liberal, notoriously anti-gun/anti-police, objected. Of course, she doesn’t want any kind of SRO on-property anyway. Happily, she was over-ruled by more sensible board-members.
With some academics, liberal politics takes precedence over everything else, even personal safety. Most of ours displayed common sense this time, thank Heaven!”
Comment:
Fortunately, this story has a happy ending. With any luck, my friend’s sage tactical thinking will never be put to the test.
Like so many unsung heroes who wear uniforms every day, my friend is on the forward edge of societal evolution.
This will all be ignored by the media, of course, which is just as well. But, we are making forward progress, albeit way too slowly!
/John
About John Farnam & Defense Training International, Inc
As a defensive weapons and tactics instructor John Farnam will urge you, based on your own beliefs, to make up your mind in advance as to what you would do when faced with an imminent lethal threat. You should, of course, also decide what preparations you should make in advance if any. Defense Training International wants to make sure that their students fully understand the physical, legal, psychological, and societal consequences of their actions or in-actions.
It is our duty to make you aware of certain unpleasant physical realities intrinsic to the Planet Earth. Mr. Farnam is happy to be your counselor and advisor. Visit: www.defense-training.com
Very good that you got your school board to approve what you needed for your application at your school. I do have a big problem with the politicians in D.C. They have been kicking the school security down the road since 1999 Columbine, I would like to state that in 2001 after the Trade Center, D.C., Pentagon, and Pa. Hijackings that the TSA was created and put into service at all of the major airports in like 30 days, understand they are still working on it but it is there. To get the politicians to do something about school security,… Read more »
Since the classroom is a fixed location and the teacher is in the classroom most of the day and since learning to shoot a handgun accurately is more difficult than learning skill with a long gun; Every classroom should have a AAC 300 BLK SBR AR with proper holographic sights system and a suppressor. This would be kept in the teachers’ bullet resistant desk which would provide the teacher a secure defensible position. The teacher could also be armed with the handgun of their choice, but the AR would be primary. Gym teachers should have similar SBR in 5.56 for… Read more »