Newtown Police Chief: “Our Schools are Safe”

BUT HOW CAN THIS BE?

by Sharon Rondeau

(Dec. 21, 2012) — Police Chief Michael Kehoe of Newtown, CT, where one week ago 20 schoolchildren and six staff members were reportedly gunned down by a crazed, lone gunman, has declared that “our schools are safe.”

Chief Kehoe goes on to say that “The staff of Sandy Hook Elementary School had taken all reasonable precautions to provide a safe learning environment to the faculty and students of the school.  Those precautions clearly saved lives.”

What about the lives which could have been saved had an administrator had a handgun?  Could the horrible suffering have been averted entirely?

How can Chief Kehoe be sure that the schools are safe when, even with a security system in place, a 20-year-old man was able to allegedly break in, enter the hallway of the school, and begin to murder people?  How did he “force” his way inside?

Did Adam Lanza belong in society, based on his reported behaviors?

Neither teachers nor administrators were allowed to carry a firearm for self-defense into the school.  Reports have surfaced that Principal Dawn Hochsprung “rushed toward” Adam Lanza as he began his rampage, but what if she had had a pistol and been able to stop him in his tracks?

What about the children and adults who were lost?  And the immediate talk of more gun control on the part of Obama, who paid a visit to another traumatized community on Sunday?

Is it up to the government to “protect our children,” or is it up to parents?  If the government cannot or will not protect children in its charge, should the children be in those institutions at all?

The Newtown police chief states that his department will work to “restore a sense of security and normalcy to Newtown.  Our law enforcement professionals are committed to helping the community through this difficult period.  It is my honor to be associated with such fine people.”

For assistance in the aftermath of the murders, the Newtown Police Department has a link to the official town website which refers people to the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.  An address has been established for the public to send messages of condolence and as well as a memorial fund.

But where will the money go?  Is money what this town needs now?

But what if the shooter had been stopped in his tracks?  If the right to bear arms for self-defense is a “God-given” one, why are schools “gun-free zones?”

Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Illinois and Washington, DC are observing a moment of silence at 9:30 a.m. today to honor the slain.  At 10:45 a.m. EST, National Rifle Association President Wayne LaPierre is expected to make a public statements about the Newtown murders.

Update, 3:00 p.m. EST:  Communities across the nation participated in the moment of silence this morning, with New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo having “encouraged schools to go quiet for one minute to remember the lives lost.”