Florida School Hires Several Heavily Armed Combat Veterans To Help Protect Their School
Fed up with what has been happening in Americian schools lately concerning shootings and the all around safety of children…one school located in Florida, decided to do something about it.
They set aside funds to hire two armed veterans to patrol and guard the school campus against any potential threats. Both of these veterans, are armed with semi-automatic rifles with 17-inch barrels and 9-millimeter Glock handguns.
The school setting this standard is the ‘Manatee School for the Arts’ in Palmetto. It is both a middle school and high school with many students. Bill Jones, the principal, said during an interview, “We’re not looking for a fair fight. We’re looking at an overwhelming advantage.”
After the Parkland massacre which happened last year, legislation was passed requiring schools in Florida to have at least one “safe-school officer” available.
This particular school has a school charter of 2,100 students. That is a lot of lives to be responsible for. The ‘Manatee School for the Arts’ is the only school within Manatee County that picked guards to carry such firepower. The Manatee County Sheriff’s Department is responsible for training these guards.
One of the guards has 15 years of infantry field experience. Principal Jones said he wanted combat veterans who can be trusted to react quickly and correctly under fire. Mr. Jones also commented about the rifles and he said, “It’s just a much more effective weapon than the handgun is”.
The decision to patrol with long guns is “very unusual,” said Michael Dorn, the executive director of Safe Havens International. Michael Dorn among his associates have assessed dozens of different public school systems throughout Florida.
This includes the top three school districts within the state. Mr. Dorn said he was not aware of any school guards in the United States, who openly carry long guns, though it is not unusual in some areas overseas.
Perhaps things will change around the country if shootings continue to become such a problem for children everywhere. Things will change, some for the worse and some for the better it seems.
(Source: New York Times)
