If only armed guards would stop a school massacre ...

A group of people hold hands in prayer at the memorial for the 13 victims of the shooting at Columbine High School. Which happened to have an armed guard (for all the good it did). With the NRA today mainstreaming idiotic calls to further militarize schools, it bears asking whether armed guards really do prevent such massacres.

Columbine High School

Jefferson County Sheriff's Deputy Neil Gardner soon would complete his second year as the uniformed community resource officer assigned to Columbine High School. Gardner, a 15-year veteran of the Sheriff's Office, normally ate his lunch with the students in the cafeteria during first lunch period. His car would have been parked in his 'normal spot' in front of the cafeteria doors - between the junior and senior parking lots.

On April 20, however, Deputy Gardner and campus supervisor Andy Marton, an unarmed school security officer employed by the school district, were eating lunch in Gardner's  patrol car. They were monitoring students in the 'Smokers' Pit,' a spot just to the northwest of campus in Clement Park where the students congregated to smoke cigarettes.

Gardner had just finished his lunch when he received a call over the school's radio from a custodian. "Neil," called the custodian in a panicked voice, "I need you in the back lot!"

Schools are big places. That armed guard can't be everywhere at once. And given officer Gardner was targeted as soon as he approached the school, he could've been executed first had he been at his regular spot in the cafeteria.

And then the shooters would've had an extra gun to work with.

Fort Hood Shooting

I think they have plenty of armed guards at military bases. In fact, I'm pretty sure they do.

Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech, like all major universities, has its own police department. Perhaps they have guns. But with 126 buildings over 2,600 acres, and nearly 30,000 students and staff, how do you stop a massacre without posting armed guards outside of every building, outside every classroom?

That the NRA would make this a cornerstone of their response to Sandy Hook is evidence that the organizations has completely lost its mind, that it has exited all realm of credibility. They are as credible as the guy unskewing the polls on behalf of Mitt Romney.

Is "more guns will make us safer" the new "Romney will win in a landslide"?
' @markos via TweetDeck

At the exact same moment that the NRA president was displaying his crazy to the world, a gunman in Pennsylvania killed three people and wounded three state troopers.

To be fair to the NRA, YOU try to hold a press conference that doesn't coincide with a gun killing in America. It ain't easy.
' @jamisonfoser via Echofon