Posted on by Californiacontrarian

Cheap Insurance?

What’s the best insurance policy? No, this is not a trick question. The best insurance policy is one that you never use! If you have health insurance and never have to use it, obviously that’s a good thing as it implies that you are never sick or injured. The most dramatic example of this tenet is life insurance . . . again if someone doesn’t need to be a beneficiary of your life insurance policy, it means that you are around to live another day.
In the aftermath of the recent Florida school shooting, could this line of reasoning be of any use? Could this insurance metaphor be helpful? At this point both the left and the right cannot find a compromise solution that is acceptable to both sides. Those on the right argue that taking away guns is not the solution, while those on the left always address this issue by emotionally stating that the answer is to take away guns. While I believe that limiting some guns may be helpful in certain circumstances, it is not the panacea that the anti-NRA lobby is trying to sell us. Eventually some sort of limited gun ban will be passed and suits will follow. The courts will get involved and eventually the Supreme Court will be called upon to make decisions on specifics. This may take years, and in the meantime, “What?”
Perhaps we can apply the concept of insurance (the best insurance policy, etc.) to this vexing topic. If we could take out some sort of insurance to prevent future school shootings, would that be a good thing? To me, the answer is obviously, “yes.”
The insurance policy that I have in mind addresses the following questions:
“Is anyone at the school armed?”
“Would arming anyone at schools be helpful?” (Interestingly if there is any sort of a
threat at a particular school, multiple armed law enforcement personnel are there
standing guard.)
“Would the potential shooters think twice before marching   into a place that is no longer a “gun-free zone?”
“Could the potential of some armed resistance deter some school shootings?”

Before you go any further, understand that I did not say, “Arm all the teachers, or even some of the teachers.” I also did not say, “Put armed guards at all schools.” However what I am advocating is for the potential of having an armed teacher at a school, and the potential of having an armed guard at a school on a particular day. Those who are intent on killing students would not know if either of these potential deterrents would be present at a particular school on a particular day.
I am proposing that local or state governments “fast track” permits for concealed-carry for those teachers who choose to arm themselves. No one including the other teachers, the principal, or the students would know if any of the teachers at a certain school had chosen to be armed. But most importantly potential shooters would not know if any teachers at a targeted school were armed.
I am also proposing that local school districts hire a capable armed security person who could potentially be at a particular district school on a particular day. (The expense of hiring an armed security guard for each and every school is prohibitive.) This armed security guard would be in plain clothes, and would rotate among the various schools in the district. This would be a random rotation so that nobody, including the potential shooters would know which school was to have an armed guard on that particular day.
I am also advocating that retired military or retired law enforcement personnel be encouraged to volunteer in their local school districts. They would also be fast tracked for concealed carry permits and would also be on some sort of a random rotation. Their volunteer efforts could be rewarded in any of a variety of different ways (decreased property taxes, state tax credits, non-paid imputed income to be credited toward their future social security, etc.)
Would any of these ideas deter potential shooters. I think that they would, and in addition, remember that the best insurance policy is one that you never have to use.

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