Student Surveillance Versus Gun Control: The School Safety Discussion We Aren’t Having

Chad Marlow of the ACLU has an article that I would encourage parents of school-age children to read.  And if you don’t have school-age kids,  but just generally give a damn about letting little kids grow up to become adults instead of getting gunned down at school, read it anyway.  Here’s just one snippet:

there is no demonstrated link between increasing student surveillance and decreasing gun violence on campus.

To the contrary, student surveillance — and indeed surveillance in general — has been shown to have no deterrent effect on violent crime. And one should not fall into the false forward-versus-backward analysis trap: Even if, after-the-fact, many school shooters are found to have posted threatening statements online, that doesn’t mean most, or even a significant number of students who post threatening statements are likely to become school shooters.

Do you know what the Dickey and Tiahrt Amendments are and how they are preventing us from getting meaningful research on stemming gun violence in schools?  No?  A lot of us didn’t/don’t know. But it’s time we all became more educated and insistent on really addressing the problem of gun violence at schools properly and effectively.

I grew up in the generation where we had atomic bomb drills in school.  Today’s kids are growing up with active shooter drills.  In one way, I think things are worse now because today’s kids are worrying about a fellow student or former student who comes in,  looks them in the eye, and tries to take their life. Not someone remotely pushing a button that drops a bomb on the whole building or town, but someone you may know having the intent and means to kill you or your little brother down the hall….

What are we doing to children?

Read the ACLU’s post and stop drinking the Kool-Aid that the NRA hands out with one hand while providing campaign financing with the other hand.