Carrie, I can certainly understand your concern for the security in the schools, especially when you have a child who is just beginning the schooling cycle that she will need several years of, and by the time she finishes pursuing whatever interests her as a career or whatever she might choose as her life's work. We could do many things to make the schools more secure, but no matter what we do, the evil-minded and mentally imbalanced will find a way to circumvent the safety measures. If only we could pay more attention to the people who show obvious signs of being disturbed mentally. This may sound silly, but maybe even a CAT scan for gun owners/buyers would be a good way to rule out brain tumors, etc, that may impair their reasoning and judgement. At least it is a small step in the right direction... but very difficult to implement. I wish I had a better answer... I wish someone, anyone, could solve this terrible problem in society.
We are gun owners at our house, and I believe in the rights to own a gun. Guns are fine, so long as they are in the hands of people with a functioning sense of right and wrong; those who will know that guns aren't meant to settle any kind of squabble or disagreement, either one-on-one, or within society as a whole. Guns don't kill people... people kill people, unfortunately. Our world is in a sad state of affairs when we can't seem to escape the violence involving guns in the hands of the wrong people.
GrimReaper, you are right... dollars set aside for doing certain things that are needed are often spent on things that do no good for the tax paying public, but serve the needs of the selfish people in a position to get their hands on some bucks and spend them to their own best personal advantage.
It makes it an unsafe place for all of us, when money is spent on trivial non-necessities, while security, etc., is left wanting. Who suffers? All of us who are trying to be good people, and paying our taxes to help run a government that is selling us down the river. If I could remove just one human trait from the world, I would remove selfishness. Imagine how many problems this would solve.
Nakis, I agree that more has to be done to diagnose and help the mentally ill. So many of the street people are often untreated mental cases that have slipped through the cracks. That doesn't count the guy next door who may appear normal, and still be very much in need of mental help, and either doesn't realize it, or he goes undiagnosed until something sets him off. Then, it's too late to help him. Cho didn't slip through only one crack in the system, but many of them. It's too sad to even describe. =(
Arizona used to have a state hospital for the mentally ill who could not safely live within society, nor were they capable of taking care of themselves physically/medically. So, what did we do.... our government closed the hospital, and released all of the people onto the streets, where they weren't even able to make a living. There has never been any kind of a workable replacement program set up for these poor folks who need constant care and monitoring, for their own safety, and the safety of others. This is one thing that made me very angry when they closed it, and I am angrier still that they have never provided any replacement facilities in the years since.
I send my loving thoughts, prayers, and healing white light to all who were touched by the VT tragedy, and all who were touched by the other tragedies in our schools and work places.
Blessings to all,
Mare