In the wake of the heinous criminal attack that left 17 dead at the high school in Parkland, Fla., the political left and its big-media allies reacted with predictable, tried-and-failed hysteria: Blame NRA. Stoke public guilt. Ban guns. Ban freedom.
What they failed to do is mention the one national initiative that has succeeded in bringing greater security to school systems in several states, thus establishing a model that will work on a much wider scale if given fair opportunity.
NRA’s National School Shield was established 2012 to address how, in these dangerous times, to foster a safe environment for America’s approximately 55 million elementary and secondary school students.
“We must immediately harden our schools. Every day, young people are being dropped off at schools that are virtually wide open, soft targets for anyone bent on mass murder,” said NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre. “It should not be easier for a madman to shoot up a school than a bank or jewelry store or some Hollywood gala.”
Recognizing there is no one-size-fits-all approach, National School Shield (NSS) provides expertise in many facets of school security by educating community, law enforcement and school leaders on best practices in security infrastructure, technology, training, personnel and policy.
A cornerstone of the National School Shield program is the Security Assessor Training, which seeks to facilitate a partnership between schools and local stakeholders by teaching them how to analyze a school’s physical security, communications systems and overall preparedness. At the conclusion of this training, participants are adequately primed to conduct vulnerability assessments that assist their schools in recognizing existing strengths as well as potential vulnerabilities.
Since the first NSS Security Assessor Training was held in Tennessee in 2015, 16 additional training courses have been completed in Idaho, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Alaska, Kansas, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Virginia and Washington. As this vital program spreads, millions more children will attend safer schools, and NRA members can assist this life-saving outreach by calling attention to it.
“Any American school that needs immediate professional consultation and help with organizing and defining [security] solutions should contactthe National Rifle Association’s School Shield program,” said LaPierre. “They’re our kids. They’re our responsibility. And it’s not just our duty to protect them—it’s our right to protect them.”
For more information about the National School Shield program, including more information about the Security Assessor Training, please visit us online at www.nationalschoolshield.org.
