Guns are evil. No one should ever have a gun. Under any circumstances. Even if they're defending children in school.
Some Illinois lawmakers want to give extra money to schools that replace armed security officers with unarmed social workers and behavior therapists, an approach to safety that's far different than a national push to add police or arm teachers following a mass shooting at a Florida high school.
Rep. Emanuel "Chris" Welch, a Hillside Democrat, said he proposed the plan after hearing from advocates who argue that investing in mental health resources is the best way of treating the epidemic of violence.
His plan, which is backed by 16 other Democrats in the House, would allow schools to apply to an optional grant if they promise to reallocate funding for school-based law enforcement to mental health services, including social workers or other practices "designed to promote school safety and healthy environments."
How much does the grant increase if the plan leads to a school shooting? Are there financial incentives per student shot? Are there bumps for every surviving student who turns into a gun control advocate?
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions proposed a school safety plan in March that included a measure prioritizing grants to states that agree to use the money to put more law enforcement in schools.
Michelle Mbekeani-Wiley, from the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, said this approach is wrongheaded and that police are unequipped to recognize or respond to mental health issues. She adds that many minority students within the Chicago Public School system are arrested by school resource officers for non-serious offenses, which could jeopardize their chances of applying to jobs and colleges in the future.
"This increased presence of law enforcement in schools does not necessarily enhance school safety," said Mbekeani-Wiley. "Instead it dramatically increases the likelihood that students will be unnecessarily swept into the criminal justice system often for mere adolescent or disruptive behavior."
Thankfully, the Broward system made sure that Cruz wasn't swept into the legendary school-to-prison pipeline. At least not until he managed to carry out the Parkland school shooting.
Black fragility and black privilege are more important than preventing school shootings.