Mass-Shooting Solutions

Solutions to Stop Mass Shootings, OpEd – by Shay Discepolo

I’m a mom.  A mom that is terrified of the significant increase in mass-shootings in the past 2 years.  I am not talking about your "common" mass-shooting from domestic violence, gangs, 'drug deals gone wrong', etc.  I am talking about a new era in mass-shootings.  I am talking about METHODICAL mass-shootings. 

These shootings are planned for weeks, months even years.  These shootings are planned in places where people are the most vulnerable.  These mass-shootings are entirely based on intent to kill as many people as humanly possible.  THESE types of mass-shootings are on the rise at a rate that has me terrified.

This isn’t hype.  This isn’t fear-mongering.  This is reality.  So, what can we do to stop them?  What is the solution or group of solutions that will make them stop?  Let’s review the multitude of options being considered today.

Gun Control.  Are you for it or against it?  Do you think the government should take away guns?  Should lawmakers ban assault rifles?  Does this help us or leave us more vulnerable?

How about arming teachers?  Armed school resource officers?  Having armed guards in the workplace, stores, events, and public places?  Will this help deter a mass-shooter? 

Perhaps you think metal detectors will do the trick?  Maybe taller and stronger perimeter fences?  Larger and more intense entry gates and doors?  Will these options keep a gun or shooter out?

Some cities have proposed building new schools with hiding places and curved walls to make it more challenging for an active shooter to succeed in his/her mission.  Will this help?  What about building hard rooms in every school and public building? 

Is this a mental health issue?  Can we help to stop these violent acts with mandated mental health care?  Mental health facilities?  Mandatory mental health check-ups?

You might also hear things about this being a result of over-use of social media or a distorted focus on the interaction via social media.  Is mass-shooting violence a result of some inability to interact with people in person?  Can we somehow stop this?

Is this a parenting issue?  Are parents really dropping the ball on teaching young people (particularly young white males) how to be a productive member of society?  How do we solve this? What is the accountability measure and how do we implement it?  Who is the governing body to make sure we address this?

Maybe it’s an internet monitoring issue.  Do departments like the FBI need to be scrubbing every corner of the internet for any potential threats?  How about local municipalities, should they also be monitoring?  Who determines the threshold of what and who is monitored?  Does this help?  Does this violate privacy rights?

When we line it all out, you begin to see another, much bigger issue entirely.  No one really knows what the solution is.  HOWEVER, there is a commonality between all these things.

Every single one of these options requires funding and lawmaker buy-in.  In addition, unless a solution is mandated by federal law, no municipality, town, city or state will ever have the same solution in place and no solution is going to be put into place today, tomorrow, next week, next month or even next year.  It just isn’t going to happen, at least not anytime soon and God only knows how many methodical mass-shootings will happen in the meantime.

THIS is why I am so passionate about my job and the company I work for.  DefendAPack created a REAL-WORLD solution that YOU CAN CONTROL YOURSELF.  No federal, state, or county funding.  No infighting across the isles of Congress.  Our founder wasn’t willing to wait for someone else to develop a solution to protect his daughter.  DefendAPack only became a company when he realized he could help protect anyone and everyone.  While it may FEEL like DefendAPack is trying to capitalize on fear, the truth is DefendAPack was created to empower the wearer to be in control of their own safety.  It might not be for everyone, and that’s ok.  If we save just ONE single life, it will all be worth it.

You can wait for a solution to the problem  AND you can do something to protect yourself and your loved ones in the meantime.  It's just that simple.  DefendAPack isn’t overkill, its to avoid a kill.