Opinion

Proper response

TBO.com
Published: January 9, 2013

When a tragedy of the scale of last month's elementary school mass shooting in Newtown, Conn., occurs, one thing is sure to follow: a tidal wave of bad ideas meant to ensure there isn't a recurrence. In these situations the best thing to do is talk about the bad ideas a bit and hope they go away before someone tries to act on them.

Following the slayings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the left weighed in with demands for more gun ownership restrictions, including not only the return of the ban on "assault weapons" Congress allowed to expire in 2004 and the outlawing of large-capacity ammunition magazines, but efforts to restrict gun ownership. From the other end of the spectrum came calls to arm teachers and other school personnel so they can defend students against the likes of Adam Lanza, the Newtown shooter.

In Pasco County, officials seem to be taking the most sensible approach. The Sheriff's Office has told deputies to patrol past schools whenever possible, but School Superintendent Kurt Browning isn't planning to post armed guards at Pasco's 47 elementary schools, in part because of the cost.

Pasco middle and high schools have had on-campus resource officers for years. The SROs, however, are primarily intended to foster respect for the law and law enforcers. They are not meant to be a one-person armed security force.

People in public offices sometimes must admit they don't have answers for every potential problem. This was one of those times.