politics

There are over 130,000 public schools in the US. This figure doesn't include private schools. I have heard suggestions that each school should be staffed with two armed guards. 260,000 armed guards making a salary of $50,000 (including benefits) would cost taxpayers $13 Billion per year. This figure wouldn't include costs for "equipment", training, increases in insurance, etc. It also wouldn't guarantee safety. Plenty of places that have armed guards still experience fatalities resulting from violence. It is a ludicrous idea, especially given the fact that most schools currently lack the financial resources to be successful institutions of learning. But, hey, why not turn our country into a giant militarized zone so that gun manufacturers can broaden their market and have a more deeply rooted hold on our collective identity.

pomoone - Placing military armed guards at schools wouldn't cost the tax payers anything extra and they would be doing their job of protecting U.S. citizens. Until that happens, government isn't doing ANYTHING

circleoflife - "Placing military armed guards at schools wouldn't cost the tax payers anything" You would need to somehow replace those 260,000 military personnel you have taken away from their military duties. There is no such thing as a free lunch.

If all these armed guards are paid for directly by increased taxes on guns, I wonder whether the NRA would still support this proposal. My guess is their handlers at the gun manufacturers wouldn't want them to support it.

mylittleid - One minute, liberals are saying the military is too big. Now, they wouldn't have enough. That's a really poor excuse to not protect the children

The NRA is a part of the problem. If they honestly do not understand the difference between protecting the President's family vs the public at all elementary schools in the US, they need to step aside from the national conversation. There were armed guards at Colombine who exchanged fire with the shooters so that is not a fool proof solution. Obviously some schools warrant guards. Mental health treatment and gun control are necessary parts of the solution.

This is typical Obama. My family is off limits as he surrounds himself with "the children" at his signing ceremony. Just like when he sends Michelle out on the campaign trail and then warns people to lay off. Sorry Mr. President. Your family lives in a fishbowl and your hypocrisy is fair game. If you really believe your own rhetoric, send your kids to DC public schools without the Secret Service.

Is our society that out of touch with the real world? The Presidents family needs protection so they do not become pawns and it does not matter what party the family member is part of. If it were one of our children and we were in a high power position and a member were taken hostage for what ever reason; not good! We could use the Military for protection but is that what our society has come down to, armed guards in schools? What will be next all Campus's, then parking lots, the street you live on? Where do we stop?

Obama is a hypocritical elitist. It's hard to handle the truth. And those of you who argue about the cost of keeping children safe are appalling. The US gives billions of dollars to corrupt governments every year and we can't afford to keep our kids safe? Nice.

The NRA is the voice of the gun manufacturers. Thank be to heaven that explosives manufacturers don't have their own amendment.