Who protects our children?  The Sandy Hook massacre has hit the entire country in the heart.  We are struck, not only by the carnage, but by the innocence of the children that were attacked.  That our government failed to protect those children is not arguable.  No one has been surprised that the liberal media has focused on the firearms that were used by a deranged person that committed multiple crimes prior to killing the first innocent child.  Assigning the blame to the firearm used is almost as insane as the act of the assailant.  

I am not going to get into a discussion of firearms ownership.  What I would ask you to focus on are three simple questions.  

Who is responsible for the protection of our children while they are at school?

What can be done to prevent another such crime?

What constitutes an adequate response by those that have sworn to serve and protect?

The first question is rather simple to answer at the highest level. Local, state, and federal governments are responsible for the protection of our children while they are at school!  Unfortunately there exists a cobweb of well intentioned but ineffective laws that prevent school systems from providing adequate protection for our children.  A law or policy banning guns or crime on a school campus does not represent protection of a child.   Protection demands that we interrupt the efforts of an armed individual that has no concern for the law or its consequences.  The individuals that commit these crimes are deranged and despondent accepting the reality of their own death as an outcome of their actions.  

Outside of the schools, children are the responsibility of an adult, their parent or foster parent.  These parents are responsible not only for the child’s protection but have a responsibility to raise the children in their care as law abiding individuals.  As a parent, now grandparent, I can tell you that raising a child is one of the most overwhelming tasks I have ever attempted.  God obviously provides significant silent help, because I have been blessed with a wonderful son who is now dedicated to raising three wonderful boys.  

The Declaration of Independence not only defines our right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but it assigns to the individual the responsibility for their own life liberty and pursuit of happiness.   What does this have to do with Sandy Hook?  When our government, local, state, or federal—by law—places a group of children in a school and does not effectively provide for their protection, they have violated our most basic rights.  The right to be secure in our life.   

To discuss government’s liability will not compensate or ameliorate the suffering of the parents or restore the life lost by one of these children.  

Excerpt from the Declaration of Independence

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.–that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…”

Excerpts from the Bill of Rights

Amendment I   “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

Amendment II   “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”

We need to discuss the second and third question in each government jurisdiction that supports a school system.  Prevention may not be able to eliminate all such problems, but we can take steps to ensure that deranged minds are not able to view school systems as their private shooting galleries.  No one should be able to enter a school with the thought that they will have the unchallenged opportunity to kill children or teachers.  We need to focus on eliminating their opportunity to commit mayhem and murder.  A 10 to 20 minute response to a Sandy Hook event is not adequate.   We must demand better for our children and teachers.  We will get what we intelligently demand.

Look for discussions of questions 2 and 3 over the next weeks.  I know that this has troubled many of us, but remember to celebrate the birth of Christ.

Merry Christmas

Ed Tyler lives in Pell City. He may be reached at ed@edtylerinc.com