Subject: [big campaign] Columbine had Armed Guards / Major legislative tenants emerge
From: Aniello Alioto <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 21 Dec 2012 15:42:09 -0500
List-Id: <bigcampaign.googlegroups.com>

It's unfortunate to have to remind people about such things, but it appears
that Columbine had armed guards - obviously that is not the answer.

Just so we all know, major tenants have emerged that countless folks are
rallying around (in addition to emergency preparedness for
educators, better mental health services et al):

    1. Require a criminal background check for every gun sold in America.

    2. Ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines that enable mass
killing.

    3. Make gun trafficking a federal crime, with stiff penalties for those
who arm criminals.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/21/columbine-armed-guards_n_2347096.html

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fan<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/users/becomeFan.php?of=hp_blogger_Amanda%20Terkel>

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Columbine High School Had Armed Guards During Massacre In 1999
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/21/columbine-armed-guards_n_2347096.html?view=print&comm_ref=false>

Posted: 12/21/2012 2:32 pm EST  |  Updated: 12/21/2012 3:06 pm EST
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FOLLOW:
NRA Press Conference<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/nra-press-conference>
, Wayne LaPierre <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/wayne-lapierre>, Armed
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Columbine <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/columbine>, Columbine Armed
Guards <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/columbine-armed-guards>, Columbine
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WASHINGTON -- In a highly anticipated press conference on Friday, the
National Rifle Association announced that after a week of reflection
following the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, it decided the way
to prevent another such tragedy was to place more guns in schools.

"I call on Congress today to act immediately, to appropriate whatever is
necessary to put armed police officers in every school -- and to do it now,
to make sure that blanket of safety is in place when our children return to
school in January," said the NRA's top lobbyist Wayne LaPierre in a speech
at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C.

But having armed security on-site failed to prevent the deadliest mass
murder at an American high school.

In 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 15 people and wounded 23 more
at Columbine High School. The destruction occurred despite the fact that
there was an armed security officer at the school and another one nearby --
exactly what LaPierre argued on Friday was the answer to stopping "a bad
guy with a gun."

Deputy Neil Gardner was a 15-year veteran of the Jefferson County, Colo.,
Sheriff’s Office assigned as the uniformed officer at Columbine. According
to an account compiled by the police department, Gardner fired on Harris
but was unsuccessful in stopping
him<http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2000/columbine.cd/Pages/DEPUTIES_TEXT.htm>
:

Gardner, seeing Harris working with his gun, leaned over the top of the car
and fired four shots. He was 60 yards from the gunman. Harris spun hard to
the right and Gardner momentarily thought he had hit him. Seconds later,
Harris began shooting again at the deputy.

After the exchange of gunfire, Harris ran back into the building. Gardner
was able to get on the police radio and called for assistance from other
Sheriff’s units. "Shots in the building. I need someone in the south lot
with me."

The second officer was Deputy Paul Smoker, a motorcycle patrolman who was
near the school writing a speeding ticket. When he heard a dispatch of a
woman injured at the high school, he responded. He, too, fired at Harris
but didn't stop him.

LaPierre said having armed security on the scene is necessary so someone is
there to shoot back. "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a
good guy with a gun," he said. "Would you rather have your 911 call bring a
good guy with a gun from a mile away -- or a minute away?"

But in chaotic situations, it's often impossible to identify the "bad guy,"
as Smoker said in his account of Columbine: "There was an unknown inside a
school. We didn't know who the 'bad guy' was but we soon realized the
sophistication of their weapons. These were big bombs. Big guns. We didn’t
have a clue who 'they' were."

"That's the point," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) at a press
conference on Friday afternoon, denouncing LaPierre's solution. "There were
two armed law enforcement officers at that campus, and you see what
happened. Fifteen dead ... 23 wounded."

New Jersey Chris Christie (R) also said on Friday that he doesn't
believe<http://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/20121221_ap_njgovarmedguardswontmakeschoolssafer.html>
having
armed guards will make schools safer or encourage learning.

Research has shown that arming schools may not create the best
environment<http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/sales-of-kids-bullet-proof-backpacks-soar/2012/12/20/6cba668a-4a1e-11e2-820e-17eefac2f939_story_1.html>
for
students either.

On Wednesday, violence prevention researchers and a large number of
education, health and civic groups discouraged putting more guns in schools.

"Inclinations to intensify security in schools should be reconsidered,"
they wrote in a
statement<http://today.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/CTSchool-Shooting-PositionStatement.pdf>.
"We cannot and should not turn our schools into fortresses. Effective
prevention cannot wait until there is a gunman in a school parking lot. We
need resources such as mental health supports and threat assessment teams
in every school and community so that people can seek assistance when they
recognize that someone is troubled and requires help."

Research also has shown that highly visible efforts to increase school
safety -- such as armed guards -- make children feel less safe at
school, undermining
their ability to
learn<http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/sales-of-kids-bullet-proof-backpacks-soar/2012/12/20/6cba668a-4a1e-11e2-820e-17eefac2f939_story_1.html>
.

The NRA did not return a request for comment, and LaPierre refused to
answer questions during his press conference Friday. Instead, the
organization said it would begin responding to media inquiries on Monday.
LaPierre is also scheduled to be a guest on NBC's "Meet the Press" on
Sunday.
-- 
Aniello Alioto
National Political Director
[email-masked]
502.664.2420

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