Opinion | Why armed military veterans aren't a solution to school shootings

Your romantic view of military veterans doesn’t hold with practical experience

Military personnel are not trained to act in an active shooter situation. At all. In fact, every active shooter drill I've been in, we're told to stay in the room we're in and barricade the door if we can. The last one I took part in, actually no one even took it seriously. At all. Granted, that's when I was in J2 so you have to have swipe access to get in our area where I was but still...we aren't trained to "act" in an active shooter other than to barricade the door if you're in a room and if you're not, to get somewhere safe. I don't understand how you think anyone is trained to swoop in and rescue people when we aren't.

Yes I know how to protect MY loved ones. I didn't swear an oath to protect other people's loved ones. I took an oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. Obey orders of the POTUS and officers appointed above me according to UCMJ and regulations. Nowhere in that is anything that says I have to use myself as a body shield in an active shooter situation.

Also I have seen quite a lot of soldiers who can't shoot for shit, who have misplaced their weapons, who have had ND's. I really don't think they should be entrusted as armed security for anyone, let alone children. Let's add in the fact that there have been veterans who are active shooters. Or those who have committed domestic violence and then it wasn't reported to the civilian authorities when they were discharged and they still got a gun. The list goes on - just because someone served in the military doesn't make them a gun expert or proficient at using guns.

Why do we keep wanting to turn our schools into prisons? Are we going to do the same for hospitals? Churches? Grocery stores? When does it stop on arming everything and actually focusing on the problem? Other countries have mental health issues, they don't have daily mass shootings. Other countries play the same video games, listen to the same music, they don't have mass shootings. Other countries have bullies (which mass shooting and bullies have nothing to do with each other) but they don't have mass shootings.

The issue is this weird obsession with guns in the US. This weird hard on that gun nuts have for guns and this weird cosplay they have that they are the ones who need to defend against a tyrannical government. This weird idea that the government is going to take 'er guns - even though I've heard that for years and it hasn't happened. This weird obsession with people who seem to want to play the mythical cowboy ultimately. It's just weird. And it's an American thing.

Maybe we should make law enforcement have more training than they do. Maybe they should stop being cowards outside school shootings and spend so much wasted time before they go in. The shooter in Uvalde wasn't "barricaded" in. The door was locked. That was it and all it took to get in was a staff member to open the door.

But sure let's blame everything else - let's blame doors. Let's turn our schools and everything else into prisons. For people who scream they are patriots and love freedom, you sure do you want a lot of government control.

I too am tempted to add my name to the list of volunteers to protect our schools, but let's face facts. We were trained, and some experienced, to kill people and destroy things. That's not the function of policing or protecting which is why sending the military to quell civilian unrest is never a really good idea. Now, if we have the time and patience to be retrained, I'd consider it, but let's face facts. I'm nearing 80 (just a few months away) and, although still seriously effective with all types of weapons, handguns and long guns, I'm not only not as good as I once was, I'm not even good once as I once was...