The NRA is on to something with its armed guards in schools, but we need to be more systematic about this.
A real system for protecting our kids would have 1) fail-safes and redundancies built in, and 2) would take into account all the stakeholders who matter - kids, parents, and teachers, as well as security contractors, guard unions, and gun manufacturers.
Here's how to beef up the proposal:
First, we need two armed guards in every school, not just one. No matter how much screening is performed, there is a non-trivial likelihood that at least one of the newly introduced armed guards in at least a few of the thousands of schools out there will be of the persuasion that fantasizes about firing assault rifles into crowds. Having a second armed guard to take out the first armed guard if he starts going rogue is an important first fail-safe.
Next, we need at least 2-3 federal marshal types disguised as teachers and packing concealed weapons. That way, if the one armed guard takes out the other and starts on a rampage, he'll have to face other armed adults, ready for a skirmish, right there in the school halls.
Third, teachers should be allowed to pack concealed weapons. When I think back on my teachers (particularly in junior high), its inconceivable that anything would ever have gone wrong by arming these folks with .38s. Now is the time.
Fourth, just as Asian schools have class monitors, we should have class monitors, too. And they should be packing.
Fifth, privatization. Just as privatized schools probably perform better in everything else, they would surely perform better in keeping kids safe.
Sixth, a typical school has fire extinguishers in every hall. We should have firefight extinguishers - emergency Bushmasters - in every hall, accessible in case of emergency. Just break the glass.
Seventh, body armor. How many Newtown or Columbine kids might have been saved if their mom's had just thought to dress them in kevlar vests? Selling school-insignia kevlar vests might also provide an additional source of revenue to underfunded schools.
Eighth, one word: robots. Armed guards might go off on one another and engage the marshals, teachers, and class monitors in gratuitous firefights, but robots can either be programmed or controlled remotely. A phalanx of heavily armed robots in every school would go a long way toward keeping all of the others in line.
Ninth, robots would, of course, be more effective with supporting surveillance systems to provide them constant real-time information - perhaps video monitors covering every square inch of the school grounds (which have the added benefit of providing better video for cable news channels after shootings - another potential source of revenue). Radio-electronic implant requirements for everyone entering schools would also help.
Finally, drones are almost surely part of the answer here. If a school does collapse into a free-fire zone, law enforcement officials might want the option to just take out the whole institution from 10,000 feet. We have pretty much perfected this technology overseas.
Not only would a more comprehensive solution possibly lead to greater student safety, it would have other benefits.
First, beyond the tangible truth of safety, there are the psychological benefits of safety - and nothing would say "safety" to my daughters more clearly than heavily armed guards, decked out in body armor (and maybe camo) inspecting every kid coming through the door.
Second, a more comprehensive solution would also provide considerable economic stimulus by creating tens of thousands of new direct jobs (guards, marshals) and untold thousands more in the design and manufacturer of robots, drones, and implants.
Finally, the proposal outlined above offers the prospect of assembling the K-street/legislative coalition that might actually get a bill passed in modern Washington (note: requisite additional subsidies to large financial institutions, oil companies, and agribusiness can be added as riders toward the end of the process).
Thank goodness we're finally having a serious discussion about guns and ways to limit the public menace caused by domestic arms proliferation.