Elementary Schools Are Targets Because They're Unprotected

The TSA now employs thousands of U.S. Marshals to protect flights, up from just 33 when 9/11 occurred. Our federal buildings have armed officers. Our most vulnerable should have the same protection. 

Several studies confirm that most shooters who kill four or more victims are typically not psychotic or hallucinatory and haven't been treated for mental health problems. 

The time it takes for an on-site officer to actively respond to the threat is substantially shorter than in cases where Law Enforcement Officers must respond from off-site.

Human error—a propped door, an unchecked person—is always the weakest link. Any comprehensive threat includes physical and technological layers of threat protection. Should one be breached, an on-site armed officer can respond quicker than off-site forces.

In half of school shootings, "the shooter had no relationship to the school, was a parent, teacher, or staff, or his or her relationship to the school was unknown, according to the data.” Therefore, in about half of all cases, schools could not have met the social emotional needs of the school shooters because they were not students.

In nearly one-third of cases, SROs played a role in either reporting the plot or responding to a report made by someone else.