Understanding And Administering The Minnesota Fence Law: Fill & Download for Free

There is absolutely NOTHING that can be done to STOP school shootings short of eliminating every human being on Earth. However, there are a multitude of things that can be done to severely reduce the number of school shootings. I am not going to go into a lot of them but I will list a few things I believe we can do.First, we recognize that nothing we do, no matter how extreme, is going to stop the problem overnight. Like many problems we have faced in the past, it is going to take a decade or more to properly deal with the problem. Knee-jerk reactions like more laws that are meaningless and unenforceable just to make the electorate think something is being done should not happen. In fact, let us first agree that the best solution to this problem is to keep the government out of any prospective solutions we may develop. Given the track record of the government for totally destroying everything it touches, we should all have no problem with agreeing to this first thing.Now, we start coming to less ideological concepts and more practical ones. I am going to just briefly mention this one. Stop sensationalizing the shootings in the media outlets. Few other news stories get the kind of coverage that school shootings get. Every day I watch FOX, CNN, MSNBC and other networks to see what they are reporting on that day. (I don’t believe a word any of those networks say, but I do like to know what they are telling us is important and should be paying attention to. I know then that those are usually the issues to ignore as diversion tactics.) For most stories, they get a few minutes of air time to report what happened and then put a little slant on the story according to the network’s bias (conservative, liberal, etc.), then they move on to the next story and repeat. This goes on for an hour or two or even three. Then the next set of anchors come on and repeat the same stories and slant.School shootings, on the other hand, are dealt with as if they were a national emergency. National emergencies (such as hurricanes, war and such) get a tremendous amount of coverage because they affect the entire nation immediately. School shootings should, in my opinion, simply be reported as a murder that happened wherever it did and then move on just as they would with any other news story. But, instead, they spend days and weeks showing us the same footage of the carnage and repeating the same politically slanted rhetoric from various “reputable” sources “close to the (insert important person here)” and the men or women who have written a book on the subject that nobody bought but now they have the air time to plug it and somehow that makes them an expert on the matter.Ok. Enough on that issue. It has been discussed in great detail by other people responding to this question so I will refer you to those discussions when you are done reading my thoughts.Reducing sensationalism will have an impact on so-called copy cats, but the reality is, many people who want to commit murder are likely to want to do so regardless of the fame and notoriety they may receive. The students who choose to commit these acts, you may notice, don’t go to other schools to kill students. They go to their OWN school and do it. Let’s face it, it would be far more sensational for a high school student to go to a nearby elementary school and kill those students, wouldn’t it? But, they don’t. Why? Because they are comfortable in that environment. They know the layout, schedule, places to conceal, and such. Also, the targets of their rage are located there.There isn’t a lot we can do about the layout of existing schools other than to create a means by which traffic can be controlled. As others have mentioned, fencing that prevents access to the school campus in most areas (though this can be easily defeated by a determined student and a bolt cutter that can be purchased at any hardware store) can help. There are also structures that can be placed around the school to prevent automobiles from driving through the front door such as concrete pillars and planter boxes.For new schools, architects should plan the layout to create a structure which would make shooting a firearm within it unprofitable. No large open spaces that aren’t absolutely necessary. Windows and doors capable of withstanding a .223 caliber bullet’s impact. Classrooms with emergency exit windows and/or safe rooms that can hold the maximum students expected to be in that room at any given time.And, may I also suggest a CO2 release system similar to a fire suppression system. CO2 reduces the oxygen in a space which is how it extinguishes a fire. Imagine what it will do to the shooter if released. No oxygen in the space, no air to breathe. One disabled shooter in a very quick fashion. Emergency bulkheads which can slide into place trapping the shooter in an enclosed area until police can arrive. Once security has determined that he is in a certain place in the hall, for example, the bulkheads in front and behind him close trapping him in the corridor. Nobody gets hurt and you have sealed off the problem. If he is still agitated when the police get there, use the CO2 to drop the oxygen level in that space until he passes out.Those are a few of the physical things that can be done. Retrofitting current schools with some of these things may be a bit expensive, but isn’t the lives of the children worth the expense?Now, what are some social things that can be done? Here is where the rubber really meets the road. Much of what I am about to write I have written in answer to other similar questions so if you think you have read it before, it may well be that you have.Bullying must be ended. However, since that is not ever going to happen, let’s look at some real solutions.Let’s see if we can find out which children are most at risk for developing the kinds of behavioral and cognitive instabilities which would lead to the commission of murder of his peers. (Please understand, I know full well that females are capable of committing these crimes, but I will continue to use masculine pronouns for ease of reading with the understanding of the reader that it is a general use of the masculine not a specific use suggesting that only males will commit such crimes. Historically, females have committed such crimes, too.)First, we know that children who cannot read or have less developed reading skills by second grade are most at risk for developing such traits. We have known this for decades. In fact, we have known it for so long that we actually use the number of second graders who cannot read at second grade level as our guide to how many prison beds we will need 20 years in the future. Instead of just shrugging our shoulders and committing these children to a future of imprisonment, maybe we should try, oh, I don’t know, maybe, helping them learn to read and communicate properly. To me, this seems like a no-brainer. We know a kid who can’t read by second grade is likely to end up in prison so let’s make sure the kid knows how to read. How hard is that to figure out? Apparently for politicians, that is entirely beyond their understanding.Most teachers at that level are very interested in educating the children. However, it is far too common today to see teachers who will ignore “problem” children in favor of students who are more agreeable in temperament and better able to learn. Because of unions, it is almost impossible to fire a tenured teacher, so we should make teachers earn tenure every year rather than earning it once then having it for as long as they remain at that school. I know that most teachers are good teachers and really want to do a good job for their charges. But, the bad ones make it difficult for those good teachers to do their job appropriately. So, let’s not make employment a guarantee for them.There is a test called the Minnesota Multi-phasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). This test was first developed in the 1930’s or 40’s and has only been updated once and that was in the 1980’s. This test is exactly what its name suggests, a personality inventory. It is used mostly by mental health professionals, psychiatric wards and prisons to help determine the personality traits and emotional/psychological state of an individual. This test is good for most adults and is relatively accurate if the person taking the test understands the questions and is honest.It would not be a good test in its present form for children. However, it can easily be adapted and modified to suit children. This test can be given to students beginning in the second grade and continuously throughout their academic career, say, every other year. This test can be evaluated by non-government mental health professionals ONLY to help determine which children may be most at risk for developing cognitive and behavioral issues. Those children identified can then be offered mental health treatment or cognitive programs designed to help them overcome any developing problems.The results of these examinations cannot under any circumstances be seen by anyone other than the mental health professionals administering and evaluating the tests and the parents/guardians of the children. (In the case of children moving to another school district, the test results can be sent to the mental health professionals handling the tests in that district.) Under NO circumstances is the government ever to be allowed to see the results of those tests. EVER! Possible exceptions would be if a minor were on trial and the results of the tests were needed to determine competency or sanity or if the child were committed to a psychiatric facility. But NEVER should any Federal, State or local governmental agency be allowed access to those records. After a certain period of time, the file is to be destroyed.Notice I did not mention medication. ‘Nuff said.Liberals will both love and hate this next suggestion. Conservatives will almost universally condemn it. There is a program used by corporations, self-help philanthropists and prisons which is designed to improve a person’s interpersonal communication skills and relationship development. Corporate managers and prison wardens unanimously agree that this program is successful with their personnel and inmates. For individuals the reviews are mixed because each person has a different experience with it and puts a different amount of effort into the program. It is called Breaking Barriers.Again, starting at a young age, say, second grade, start teaching the concepts presented in this program and continue to do so every other year through the end of high school. It can be adapted to be age appropriate. However, two of the concepts presented in this program are controversial. The first is that no one person or group has all the truth. This is why conservatives will be most opposed to it. Conservatives in America tend to be Christians and as we all know, Christians believe they hold the monopoly on truth. The second is that it also promotes the idea that power does not come from an external source or group but from within. Liberals, with their collectivist and centralized mindset will not like that idea as they believe the government has or should have all the power.However, I believe that this course could be adapted to children without those two concepts and still be tremendously effective without being controversial.Understand that mental health therapy and programs are beneficial to society and not a judgement of a person’s parenting skill or a child’s worth. The stigmas associated with mental health, while decreasing, are still prevalent in today’s society. Removing these stigmas will go a long way toward helping children succeed in life. If they aren’t worried about what their parent’s or friends think about them for participating in such programs, they are more likely to “buy in” to the program and receive its full benefit.There are so many more things I could go into that would benefit our society and reduce school shootings, but if I continue, I might end up with a book. I will say that much of what I would write about has been written by others who responded to this question so I suggest reading all the answers. Many good ideas have been discussed.