• Home
  • About
    • Authors
  • Advertise
  • Articles
    • Archives
    • Chaplain
    • Crime & Controversy
    • Community
    • Cop Humor
    • Editorial
    • Op-ed
    • Gear & Technology
    • Investigations
    • Laws & Legal
    • Leadership
    • News
    • Officer Down
    • On Duty
    • Tactics
  • Network
    • Learn more
  • Training
  • Officer Privacy
  • Jobs
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
Law Officer
Law Officer
No Result
View All Result

Politicians will not save your children – but parents can

The time to act is now

May 27, 2022
Travis YatesbyTravis Yates
Share and speak up for justice, law & order...

The horrific deaths of 19 children in Uvalde, Texas has rightfully sickened every American and in typical fashion, the politicians came out of their dungeon and began blaming everyone but themselves. Throw the lying media and the blue check twitter experts on top and it’s all out insanity.

Just as we’ve heard after other school shootings, the solution is gun control or the elimination of that scary looking ArmaLite Rifle that is being called an assault rifle. A lie that just about everyone has bought.

If you had a thought that politicians actually wanted a solution, you can stop at the ridiculous idea that banning a weapon, that has the same capabilities as a hunting rifle (but looks too military), would do anything to help.

We’ve been here before. The AR-15 Rifle was banned from 1994 to 2004 and any real evidence of it making a difference in violence simply isn’t there.

Just as now, the politicians knew it would make no difference in crime. Considering that far more homicides are conducted with hands and feet than rifles, it was clear that their “feel good” legislation would do nothing to impact violence and it didn’t.

The final report by the Department of Justice concluded that the ban’s success in reducing crimes committed with banned guns was “mixed.” Gun crimes involving the banned “assault” weapons declined but that decline was “offset throughout at least the late 1990s by steady or rising use of other guns…”

A Bushmaster .223 rifle including two handguns were used in the Sandy Hook shooting and they were not on the banned list. Once again, the politicians want to just ban the scary looking gun. Some will say to ban all guns but politicians have had 250 years to eliminate the Second Amendment and that is never going to occur so it’s nothing but rhetoric designed to grab votes.

Most aren’t convinced that banning one type of rifle would not work regardless of the past failure and I get it. It sounds like a great idea and to argue against it sets you up to hate children but I’m not interested in feel good approaches that do nothing but stoke emotion and pander for votes.

This problem must be fixed now and it’s time that America stops waiting on politicians to fix it. 

As a parent, I certainly wanted my kids to go to a school that offered them the best education along with other opportunities to prepare them for life but by far, the most important aspect to my kid’s school was safety. After all, for the majority of their youth, they were going to be in the hands of others.

So when homeschooling was over and it was time for middle school and high school, I was going to make sure the school was just as prepared as I was in their “homeschool.”

My first tour of the school was impressive. Not because of the advanced classes and the phenomenal facilities but because I saw a gun in every hallway. Well trained security personnel were in every building and many of the teachers had been trained specifically to protect kids.

The presence of good people with guns ready to do battle with evil is one thing but building security is another. There was only one door that anyone without a school badge could enter and that door funneled you into a secure room that had no access to the rest of the school.

I’ve had two kids graduate from this school and another still there. On a weekly basis, I find myself on campus and I’ve tested their protocols every time. Their record is perfect and as a parent, I expect nothing less.

Security makes some nervous and because of this, many schools don’t take it seriously because they are afraid of “upsetting” a parent. Far too often, our leaders make excuses or point to someone else to fix something and that must end.

What Can Be Done

  1. Parents must demand real change. It begins with security and target hardening but should continue with every parent testing those protocols on a regular basis.
  2. This is not a budget issue. President Bill Clinton funded 100,000 cops in 1994 and the vast majority went into the schools as “community officers.” Law enforcement can be both “community officers” while at the same time ready to eliminate the devil if they entered a school to harm our most precious possessions. If your local school or government can’t help with funding (trust me, they can) then it’s time for parents to take control and walk a beat if they have to.
  3. Law enforcement must do their job. Yes there is equipment and training that should have already happened but we also play a huge educational role for schools. We should be testing these buildings, training teachers and making sure that every school is protected appropriately. And if a school refuses or fails, we should make it public so the parents know how derelict their school is.

Act Now

Unfortunately, we have been here before and our communities have a choice. We can get sucked into the political “blame” game and move on to another topic in a month or we can decide NEVER AGAIN.

If evil wants to visit our children, then we can decide today that there will be hell to pay.


Travis Yates is the author of “The Courageous Police Leader.” His training events along with additional resources can be located at: www.travisyates.org. 

 

 


Share and speak up for justice, law & order...
Tags: active shootingblame gameopinionpoliticiansschool securityschool shootingtarget hardeningTexastravis yatesUvalde
Travis Yates

Travis Yates

Travis Yates has three decades of law enforcement experience and currently holds the rank of Major. One of the most prolific trainers and writers in the profession, he has trained and consulted with thousands of law enforcement professionals across the globe and has authored hundreds of articles for various publications. He is a past recipient of the ILEETA Police Trainer of the Year and and CEP of The Courageous Police Leadership Alliance (www.CPLalliance.org). Travis is a graduate of the 227th Session of the FBI National Academy and has a doctorate degree in Strategic Leadership. He is the author of the best selling book, “The Courageous Police Leader: A Survival Guide for Combating Cowards, Chaos & Lies.“ His writings and podcast can be located at: www.TravisYates.org

Related Posts

Phoenix Police Cleared In Civil Rights Lawsuit Over Protest

January 16, 2025

Hiring Bonuses Are Easy…Culture Is Hard

December 24, 2024

Courage Is The Ultimate Virtue

December 24, 2024
Isaiah Patrick Bias

Texas detention officer murdered while escorting ‘pure evil’ inmate

December 18, 2024
Jacob Candanoza

Texas police officer killed in overnight shooting, gunman in custody following manhunt

December 9, 2024
Jerome Scholz

Off-duty Texas police officer killed in motorcycle crash

November 18, 2024
Load More

Latest Articles

Sheriff: If You Throw a Brick At Our Deputy, ‘We Will Kill You, Graveyard Dead’

June 13, 2025

Former USAID Officer and Executives Plead Guilty in $550 Million Bribery Scheme

June 13, 2025

A Case Study in Federal Corruption and Media Silence

June 12, 2025

‘Completely blew it’: Former union president calls out Minneapolis Police Department leadership missteps

June 12, 2025
Pixabay

Police Shoot Man Wielding Chainsaw During Disturbance

June 12, 2025
FBI raids

FBI: If Local Agencies Don’t Prosecute Violence, The DOJ Will…

June 9, 2025
Load More

Weekly E-Newsletter

Subscribe—and get the latest news and editorials direct from Law Officer each week!

[newsletter_form type="minimal"]

Protect Your Privacy

JOIN THE FIGHT

BE COURAGEOUS

POPULAR GEAR

Tactical Pants

Tactical Boots

 

FIND MORE…

Law Officer

© 2024 LawOfficer.com

LawOfficer.com

  • Home
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Corrections
  • Contact

Speak up for justice, law & order

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About
    • Authors
  • Advertise
  • Articles
    • Archives
    • Chaplain
    • Crime & Controversy
    • Community
    • Cop Humor
    • Editorial
    • Op-ed
    • Gear & Technology
    • Investigations
    • Laws & Legal
    • Leadership
    • News
    • Officer Down
    • On Duty
    • Tactics
  • Network
    • Learn more
  • Training
  • Officer Privacy
  • Jobs
  • Contact

© 2024 LawOfficer.com