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Charles,

I did not get to see the conference, just read the news reports and the reports/transcript of it here. It sounds to me like the only correct answer. I do have some points for everyone here to consider, and I suggest that we see if any Texas legislators will carry a plan like this this session.

First, I love the money quote on stopping the bad guy. I agree with it 100%. A friend of mine from high school is an editor with Hearst Papers and writes the Texas on the Potomac blog. He posted the quote and asked if anyone thought it was true. The comments on it were 2-1 in favor of it when I posted that it had to be true. Statistically, they suicide when the cops come, so it proves the truth. The only answer I have seen against it, in a national column on CNN.com, was that there was an armed guard who engaged the shooters at Columbine and was not able to stop the killing. They then said this proved it would not work. But in their own article they even stipulate that we can never know if this distracted the killers enough for some to get out, lessening the number of deaths, kind of proving the point instead.

Secondly, the Congress can appropriate funds without creating another bureaucracy. They do it already with cities with the Justice grants to help local departments hire more cops. I could see a grant program to the state to train and certify some teachers/parent volunteers. It would not take much in Texas to put armed guards in every school though this type of program.

I suggest that we get a law mandating that each school district and college/university must have a police department with a certified peace officer on each campus or certify teachers and adult parent volunteers to protect each campus. TEA should be the agency running the training and certification (because I see DPS as too big and slow and anti-gun to get this done). Luling, where I live, has a primary school, an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school. It has one officer now assigned to protect all of the schools at once. Adding certification for teachers and adult volunteers would provide enough at no cost toher than the training.

I did see one person who pointed out that Texas allows every school district to have its own police department and we don't have school shootings. I pointed out that Harrald ISD has no record of accidents with the firearms allowed either. I cannot see how this program cannot work.

Finally, if there is anything I can do to help this program Charles, I will be glad to do so. I am willing to testify as a citizen and father, and as an experienced and certified peace officer. I would also be willing to testify as a parent who would volunteer to help the school when I can in this position.