Conn. official: Don't make schools armed fortresses

A sign welcomes Sandy Hook Elementary schoolchildren on their first day of classes near the former Chalk School in Monroe, Conn., Jan. 3, 2013. / AP Photo

HARTFORD, Conn. A legislative working group reviewing school security after the deadly Newtown shooting is being urged not to turn Connecticut's schools into armed fortresses.

• Some Calif. school officers have assault rifles
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• New Jersey school district employs armed guards
• Watch: NRA: Congress should put armed police in every school

Stefan Pryor, the state's education commissioner, told the panel on Friday that a school environment needs to be warm and inviting, as well as safe and secure. He said there are security changes that can be made invisibly in schools, such as more video surveillance.

Friday's public hearing marked the first of four hearings behind held by a legislative task force on gun violence and children's safety.

Lawmakers were also urged to consider funding more uniformed, armed school resource officers in Connecticut schools. An association of school principals said it favors having those trained police officers rather than armed guards or arming teachers and principals.

[dj4240]

What is it with the clueless who come up with these ridiculous sayings like "don't make our schools into an armed fortress" Where are there minds?? security can be seen everywhere in our society and it has been proven over and over to work,There is security at the schools of the privileged elite,because it works...and gun bans have been proven not to work...Everyone should resent liberal politics being played at the expense of the safety of the innocent

[MaxK341]

What has happened to the American spirit? Too many people over-react to isolated cases of insanity. We live in an imperfect world. There is no such thing as guaranteed safety. Get on with your life and forget about armed guards everywhere. Guards can't stop the unexpected crazy. The crazy is ready to die. The guard has a family he wants to live for.

[lami987]

Armed guards in schools are not enough. We need sharp shooters in school who can immobilize or kill a firing intruder with a single shot. Many school kids have access to guns if they are desperate enough they can steal them from their parents and kill their "enemies" in school. Or even kill their parents or siblings like what happened recently. That would happen again, questions are when and who. Parents who own guns has to be super careful or they may regret forever.

[krisinal]

The Future, Assault Rifle Armed, Mentally Unbalanced Mass Shooter says to himself......"Where should I go to kill a lot of people? HHhhmmm.... What about City Hall? Nah...police are there. What about bank or airport? Nah..they have armed guards and TSA. What about a school? Well since the NRA suggestion was carried out, ALL SCHOOLS have an armed person on duty during school....NAH, I DON'T WANT TO GO ANYWHERE THERE IS ANY ARMED SECURITY...I WANT TO BE ABLE TO KILL AS MANY WITHOUT HAVING TO WORRY ABOUT GETTING SHOT/STOPPED BY A GUARD OR COP."

So the moral of the story is the future mass shooter goes somewhere else, and not the defended school.

[rnrstar]

Churches, mall, bars, the street, banks, parks, movie theaters, pretty much anywhere are all good targets. So I guess we need to start making clothes out of kevlar and put armed police on every street corner and in front of every door in the nation. Just like Egypt does.

[krisinal]

WHO THE HELL IS TALKING ABOUT MAKING THEM "ARMED FORTRESSES?"

The suggestion from the NRA is to have "A GUARD."....ONE....JUST ONE.

Talk about the Left first, taking the suggestion WAY out of context...and second, ignoring an IMMEDIATE STEP THAT WOULD DIRECTLY INCRESE SECURITY.

Banning assault rifles MAY stop a future attack, but puting armed security in schools WILL PREVENT/STOP FUTURE INCIDENTS.

[AndrewinFargo]

something seems VERY WRONG when you spell "love" luv" when it's on a sign for a school...seriously? we couldn't of added one letter and spelled it correctly?

[Social_Adjudicator]

Just like fire extinguishers in every classroom, there should be shotguns loaded with buckshot, but under lock and key or secured by an electronic lock that can be released under lock down; operated from a central location or by wireless means by the security guard . Should a shooter get through the first layer of defense; such being an armed security guard, I guarantee you they won't get through the second layer.

[rnrstar]

I say install steel doors, bullet proof glass, line the walls with steel and then install remote controlled gun turrets at each entryway and hall. That should do it until someone shows up with a really big gun.

[MRPAULGE0RGE]

Why is Elmo the Pedophile in front of the school?

[sasi1-2009]

Until there are measures in place to ban legal drugs in schools, these shootings will continue to happen. Banning guns is NOT the total solution; something has to be done to stop the psychological problems before they explode. Ritalin, adderol & two other ADHD drugs have been classified as classII drugs. Check it out! Thank God my kids didn't go to school where they had to watch their classmates line up at the nurse's station to get their daily fix. I guarantee you my children would NOT have been taking these drugs. Apparently the school systems wants little robots rather than healthy, active kids. Go back & check the drugs the other school shooters were on. It is truly frightening, but apparently the populace is either unaware, uncaring, or too stupid to know the difference.

[bradkt1]

We seem to have absolutists on both sides of this issue. Armed guards at schools are not a bad idea. I think that this is a good idea. Armed guards just aren't the entire solution to the problem and the left needs to recognize this.

An assault weapons ban that leaves hundreds of thousands of assault weapons in the hands of their present owners is no real solution. It is pretending to address the problem without effectively doing so. The same for high capacity magazines. If you are going to do it right, the possession of assaut weapons, high capacity ammunition magazines and armor piercing ammunition by civillians should be outlawed...just like possession of hand grenades or automatic weapons.