More guns! Armed police at all schools.

$$$

We're turning into Israel but unfortunately, we don't have a Sugar Daddy (another U.S.) to pay for all of it.

I know one gun in the hands of the principal at that school last friday would have helped.

So you have been to Isreal AP and can compare the two?

Yeah, nobody knows anything about places they haven't been to.

You know, because there aren't any books, magazines, television, or any other way to gather info.

Solid effort, as always, TJ.

In my experience no. The only part of the US that even comes close to resembling Israel in the Arizona and Texas borders out of the 40+ states that I have visited. You keep reading books and magazines and watching TV for experience we need more people short on experience and long on opinion. Pun intended of course. If we were like Isreal everyone would have served in the military, handled a weapon and understood what living under a real threat was all about instead of talking out of your ass which is your specialty. .

You're so awesome.

Clearly, you're the best.

My specialty is laughing it you, and you never fail to provide another reason to laugh.

Go sip some wine, Sally.

Deep as usual, Nancy.

Not too impressed by their suggestion unless they follow it through all the way.

Certainly would be a job creator, with over 130,000 schools in the US. (public and private k-12)

Lets assume $80,000/yr per officer for salary, equipment, training and benefits.

That is only $10.4 Billion (Big B).

With an estimated 10.8 million guns sold last year, just to pay for that the tax would be about $1,000 per gun. Applications this year were about 16.8 million so far, so assuming that was the actual figure, the cost per gun is only $620.

Maybe adding onto the 10-11% excise tax on firearms and ammunition would reduce the overall cost on a per gun basis, but really this is just another unfunded mandate (Mandate of the NRA). It is just as irresponsible for them to suggest this, as it is for the US Congress, or our State elected critters to do the same thing. Create a program without adequately providing for a revenue stream to pay for it.

Sorry, I live for story problems.

On the subject of facts I found this interesting tidbit in the NRA article on MSN.com .

"The rate of firearms-related murders in 2011 was 3.2 per 100,000 people. In 1993 the rate of firearms-related murders was 6.6 per 100,000 people. The number of firearms-related murder victims dropped from more than 17,000 in 1993 to 9,903 in 2011.

Yet the shootings in Connecticut have raised the possibility that Congress might enact restrictive legislation that would incorporate the 1994 ban as well as measures to increase funding for treatment of mentally ill people."

So with gun related murders dropping by close to half, 42%, why is there a need for a gun ban? I don't see the other side of the argument there.

Hopefully someone will come up with meaningful legislation that will both protect the public at large, and not take away the rights of law abiding citizens. Sadly, until we can figure out a way to get criminals to obey the law, there will still be crime.

I, for one, thoroughly enjoy your story problems Dogfish.
Especially because they are brutally honest

Seems to me that the NRA may have jumped the shark today.

That information was from MSNBC in the article that on the NRA. Those numbers are not the NRA's.

The ban expired in 2004 and weapon sales have increased significantly since that time. If the amount of guns on the street directly or indirectly correlated to an increase in murders, then the murder rate should be much higher than before the ban.

After the ban ended, from 2007-2012 there were over 77 million applications processed to purchase guns in the US. In excess of 10 million per year. Wouldn't this have led to a greatly increased murder rate? Well, it didn't, so the anti gun folks are wrong when they say the availability of more guns leades to a higher rate of murders.

I am a pro gun person, provided that they are used responsibly.

Wow, that is what you got from what I said? This might explain why people react to you the way they do.

What I was getting at is that the additional homeland security proposed is insane as far as cost:benefit. Schools are already drastically underfunded (so much so that the WA State Supreme Court had to step in) yet no one is eager to provide additional tax dollars. And now we considering adding another 100,000+ people to stand around with guns in an attempt to limit unpredicatable future events. I just think there has to be some rational thought about what we are going to spend and what we are actually getting for our money.

I also find it incredibly interesting to see the flip-flopping of people that always shout about "smaller government" and the "nanny state" yet seem to hop on board as soon as they get scared.

Ya think!

Its the banker/economist in me. Sorry.

Dogfish,

Story problems have long been my favorite as well. I find that they are more readily solved using rational analysis than visceral knowledge (emotion). Unfortunately the 2nd Amendment and gun control debates use little to none of the former and a too big heaping of the latter. I probably qualify for cranky old fart status by being annoyed by well paid government representatives engaging in debate using visceral knowledge. WTF.

Sg

Now your annoying me. Never and I mean NEVER say your sorry for being honest (even if it is brutal).

Have a good day ladies and gentlemen!

Let teachers/administrators carry if they wish to. Don't make it a mandate, just let it be OK. No extra pay. No extra training. Just let them shoot back.

Pot Kettle AP. I support zero of that the NRA proposes and I support zero about what the govt. has said so far. Me personally I think we already live in a police state where people take next to zero responsibility for their own safety. I think we have way too many police. The schools are no where near underfunded. Take all the BS programs out of the schools and there is plenty of money to do the best job in the world. Again go to China, India and other countries and see how they do more with less instead of relying on TV and magazines to form your opinion. People react the way they react because they surround themselves with like thinkers and reject anything that challenges their views. That’s why you and your cabal won't read dissenting opinions from sources not approved by the Cabal. You care more about who says it than what is said. You don’t have the nuts to say what you think because your friends might think differently of you. Your comment about Israel says it all, that is the mainstream liberal opinion, Israel is bad and only successful because of US funding. Never having set foot on the ground. The NRA does the same as you in terms of pandering to its audience but they are worse. Give me a friken break.

Armed guards seems to work pretty well for the politicians pampered a$$es. Anyone been to D.C. since 911 and not seen armed guards hanging around there little meeting hall. I agree that putting a cop at every school will look and feel more like a police state but it is effective. I kinda agree with Gutz get rid of "gun free zones" and let the teachers shoot back. It will reduce police pressesnce and even the fight (at this point its a fight). I think training them and setting up an arms room/locker for them would come at a cost but there is no way that any reaction from these tragedies is free. I'd think training and arming would be cheaper than hiring new and arming.

Choad, you're in typical form.

I'm not sure exactly what I said that has seemed to piss you off so much? Since your reading comprehension seems to lagging, I'll tell you that we appear to be agreeing on the basics here. You think there are too many police. I'm saying I don't think we should have additional police in schools (because it is costly and not effective... just like other "security" measures I've pointed out for 10+ years on this board).

For some reason, you also devoted a lot of your words to tell me what I think. More impressively, you got most of it wrong.

P.S. You seem REALLY obsessed about Israel and, particularly, about assigning things to me that I didn't say.