Chris, I think you bring up a very good question that we need to look at. I also respect Eric and his views, though we may differ in our opinions. I think we have to come up with a system that can track those with mental health issues from purchasing firearms. However, Sandyhook's violence on the innocent used fire arms that were illegal to have. His mother, a teacher, purchased and showed he mentally unstable so how to use the weapons. I also felt that Sandyhook had as secure of entry point that I have ever heard of for an elementary school. It is pure rage of violence on the innocent and one of country's worst tragedies.
When I see teachers being attacked in the media, I often think of those incredible educators that put their life in front of their students to save lives. I believe Eric had research that showed armed officers in a school building could cause trauma for students.
I only can speak from my perspective as one school with an armed officer on campus. My SRO gets out every day to build relationships with our kids. I have him sit in on certain issues I might be dealing with. Our message is that we don't want anyone to be arrested and we take a pro-active approach. It also sends the subtle message of what the consequence could be for an illegal act. For Lincoln, having an SRO on campus brings a sense of calm. We have never used our SRO to create fear or to be aggressive with our kids. However, I can see Eric's side if he SRO is used aggressively and to intimidate.
I actually shoot Trap, Skeet, and Sporting Clays as a hobby and love the challenge which is a lot like golf...concentration, practice, and technique. A great outlet for me and a great group of guys that love the sport and are extremely safety conscious. There are high safety expectations and new members have someone next to them teaching the appropriate safety expectations that must be followed by all of us.
Jim