I'm writing an essay on why there should be trained and armed staff at colleges. Before I offer a solution or explain it, I first need to convince the audience that there is a problem. I think the best way to do that is to use hard evidence. So one of the most important things I'm looking for is statistics on how many instances of gun violence there are in school settings per year in America. That will help me to define the problem. But I also need to find statistics on gun crimes, gun crime prosecutions, and basically any other statistics that will help prove my point that further protection is needed against gun crimes. Where might I find stuff like that? I've already looked through stuff on AGS (Americans for Gun Safety) but I haven't found much more. Oh, and I know that gun violence occurs in schools much less than in other places; the angle I'm going for is that gun violence in schools is more prevalent TODAY than it has been in the past. I need a statistic to prove that.
google is your best friend! the slogging work of doing research is part of a writer's job... it ain't always easy, but no one can do it for you, really, since only you know the data you need to find... in re that, don't forget that security guards are low-paid and recruited mostly from the lower levels of society, if you'll pardon my stating a blunt, albeit unpleasant fact... sure, some do come from law enforcement, but many of them did not leave that sector willingly and many retired from it, thus are older to elderly, and not as 'fast on the draw' as they once were... nor as capable of discerning who is and is not a threat, in a split second, as is required when drawing one's weapon... anyway, it should be an interesting piece and challenging, to write...
Actually, I'm arguing that teachers themselves should be armed, and trained beyond what you have to do to get a firearm permit. Seems the safest to me, when there are no metal detectors, you'd have to have a guard in every room to keep it safe. May as well arm someone who's already in the room.
i shudder to think of the potential consequences if all teachers were turned into gun-toting bodyguards!... aside from the carnage that could ensue if shootouts were taking place in crowded classrooms, i'm sure many teachers would A. object to using a gun and B. not qualify as sharpshooters, thus risking that all the students could become 'collateral damage'... why not advocate the use of tasers, instead of lethal weapons?... at least with those, the teacher can only hit one body at a time, so not put so many bystanding kids at risk...
