TEXAS — While there are some bipartisan talks of gun reform in Congress, state Republican leaders continue to shy away from any gun related restrictions. Instead, they’re pushing for improving school safety, and funding campus police.
On Monday, Gov. Greg Abbott directed an active shooter training center to provide training to all Texas school districts. The ALERRT Center at Texas State University is recognized as the gold standard in active shooter response training by the FBI.
“Response and how to respond to these incidents are critical,” said Greg Shaffer, a retired FBI agent and founder of the Shaffer Security Group. “[But] we need to do more on the preventative side of things.”
Shaffer says preventative measures could mimic how schools protect against fires, with regular drills and special equipment. He adds that things like more cameras, so police can more easily find a shooter, and teacher panic buttons, could make a difference.
“Right now, we’re teaching all the kids to stay in the classroom. In my world, if you are in a gunfight the first thing you want to do is run away,” said Shaffer. “So there’s a lot of things we can do that we’re not doing now.”
Abbott said the training must start before the next school year begins. This comes after he recently requested a complete safety review of Texas public schools, including random, unannounced security checks.
And on Friday, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called for spending $50 million to buy bulletproof shields for school police.
“This straightforward solution can begin right away,” he said in a statement. “If all responding law enforcement had bulletproof shields last week, lives may have been saved.”
However, Patrick’s request requires the approval of the House Speaker and other members. And Monday, House Speaker Dade Phelan seemed poised to put that request on hold. While he acknowledged shields “could be part of the solution”, he said in a statement the House will wait until the investigation into the shooting is done.
“While discussions are already underway in the Texas House about how to respond to the school shooting in Uvalde, there are also ongoing investigations into the details of this horrific event, and we will be utilizing those findings to determine how state resources should be allocated if we are to prevent another tragedy like this from occurring,” he said.
And some experts have cast doubt on the effectiveness of the idea entirely. Shaffer says bulletproof shields wouldn’t have made a difference in Uvalde.
“Shields are not going to help if they are not going to respond,” he said. “It’s a great tool to have, but it’s certainly not a panacea or the answer to this problem.”
The school police chief’s order to delay sending officers into the classrooms where 19 children and two teachers were murdered is under investigation.