Could The Florida Shooting Have Been Prevented?

CAL THOMAS COMMENTARY FEBRUARY 16, 2018

         ANOTHER SCHOOL SHOOTING, THIS ONE AT A PUBLIC SCHOOL NORTH OF MIAMI. 17 DEAD. 14 WOUNDED, SOME CRITICALLY.

         THE PATTERN ALWAYS REPEATS ITSELF. A 19-YEAR-OLD WHO WAS EXPELLED RETURNS TO THE SCHOOL, PULLS A FIRE ALARM SO STUDENTS WILL LEAVE THEIR CLASSROOMS AND STARTS FIRING IN THE HALL.

         THE LEFT IMMEDIATELY CALLS FOR MORE GUN LAWS, BUT WHAT LAW COULD BE PASSED THAT WOULD HAVE STOPPED A KILLER BENT ON KILLING? WOULD METAL DETECTORS HAVE HELPED? HOW ABOUT AN ARMED GUARD?

         AS SO OFTEN HAPPENS, THE YOUNG MAN SENT NUMEROUS SIGNALS. HE OPENLY TALKED ABOUT GUNS AND WAS SEEN BY HIS PEERS AS DANGEROUS. HIS SOCIAL MEDIA PROFILE PRACTICALLY SCREAMED DANGER. WHY WASN’T HE REPORTED? WHAT HAPPENED TO “IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING”?

         THERE IS A TENDENCY AFTER THESE EVENTS TO THINK IN TERMS OF WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN DONE TO PREVENT THEM. THERE IS NO GUARANTEE, BUT CLEARLY MORE COULD HAVE BEEN DONE IN ADVANCE. COULD A COUNSELOR HAVE HELPED IF HIS PEERS HAD REPORTED HIM? AND THEN THERE’S ALWAYS THIS TRUTH, SWHICH HAS BEEN PROVEN NUMEROUS TIMES: ONE GOOD GUY WITH A GUN MIGHT HAVE STOPPED THIS BAD GUY. I’M CAL THOMAS IN WASHINGTON.

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Cal Thomas