Perhaps the NRA’s Wayne
LaPierre criticism of the administration's pushing of failed solutions could make
lemonade from its lemons by taking his “crazy” suggestion a step further by
asking NRA members to come forward and offer their volunteer service to their school
districts. We have volunteers in our schools for other purposes; why not licensed
and gun-use-trained volunteers for security? Seems the presence of sane and law-abiding
NRA members guarding our schools would serve to make everybody happy: “tea-party”
types would be glad no state or federal monies would be used, thereby keeping “big
government” out of local issues; the defenders of 2nd Amendment rights would be
happy that the ”right to bear arms” is not being trampled; the anti-gun folks
would be content there’d be no added proliferation of guns, since volunteers
would have their own; and what red-blooded, gun-totting American would not jump
at the chance to “strut their stuff” in a public place? Promoters of volunteerism
have reason to rejoice in the renewal of a GHW Bush era “million points of
light” solution at the grass-roots level.
Disclaimer: As neither a gun owner nor a member
of the NRA, I see the suggestion of armed guards in our public places as one
more step toward the “security state” seen by those who recoil at military
personnel armed with assault-rifles at foreign airports. And I don’t agree with
LaPierre’s concept: "the best way to stop a bad guy with a gun
is a good guy with a gun." While this is a somewhat "tongue-in-cheek" commentary, I'd like to think the suggestion might have merit in giving the NRA a chance to "put it's money where its mouth is."
