Or we can use the Wikipedia numbers.
1/4 of 60 is 15 here.
3/4 of 60 is 45 for the rest of the world, divided by 195 comes to .23 for each of the other countries.
The ratio would be .015 to 1.
Either way, the numbers don’t make us look good.

I would guess that factoring in population densities and other factors might change the numbers a bit, but not the obvious. We do have a problem here.

I’m not against arming teachers. Maybe it will work. Turning the US into a surveillance state certainly hasn’t.

I’ve seen stats about that here and there, and some have been contradictory. All the stats I’ve seen confirm that not all the worst school shootings have been here. I’ll have to do some research on that.

I haven’t seen any refutation of the “gun free zone” fact you cited. GFZs are an absolute fantasy. They may as well just add another sign that says “No Mass Murder Followed By Suicide” sign if they think a GFZ sign accomplishes anything.

Thanks for commenting, I appreciate that information.

Whoosh.

That “whoosh” is the sound of what should be the obvious flying right on past everybody. That if the US makes the list 4 times, then places that are not the US make the list 6 times. Six. As in, a bigger number than 4; as in, “most”.
As in – most of the school attacks took place in places that were not in the US.
If you look in Wikipedia (I know, I know – Wikipedia, but still…) there is a list of “Rampage Killers: School Massacres”. There are over 60 incidents listed, and a full 3/4 of them happened some place that was not in the US.

The mistaken premise is that these attacks are unique to, or at least peculiar to, the US. But, like, 3/4 happened somewhere else. It just isn’t so.

As for the choice of location; I have read in numerous places – and haven’t seen it refuted or disputed anywhere – that (with the single sole exception of the Gabby Gifford attempted assassination) every public mass shooting in the US has taken place in a so-called “gun-free zone”. Every single one.

I don’t think armed teachers would cause any problems at all, and I definitely don’t see students trying to disarm them (even if they knew a teacher was armed). The hostage thing just isn’t a realistic possibility. Teachers have been carrying for years in certain places without any of those doomsday scenarios happening, but opponents still throw those out as reasons it can’t be done.

Thanks for the comments, I appreciate them.

Chris

Thanks for the comment, Tass. Maybe your friend would benefit from reading that conversation.

Chris

I’d like to have a similar discussion with her someday…

As far as armed teachers go, I don’t see a problem with it. In my younger years as a student, I doubt anyone in school will take a fellow student hostage just to get a teacher’s gun. Kids are smart, but let us not mistake our teachers for being stupid. A trained and intelligent teacher can properly conceal a handgun without being detected.

If a particular school has teacher’s and staff that all refuse to carry, they better implement other security measures like guards, security doors, etc. And even those can still be defeated.

The best defense to an armed shooter is also an armed individual. Like they say, “You don’t bring a knife to a gun fight”.

Chris