Stacy and I are deeply saddened by what happened in Uvalde, Texas last week, with its devastating loss of life and the immeasurable hurt that victims’ loved ones, survivors, and so many others are facing. The disturbing media reports of apparent security failures in Uvalde are a powerful reminder that we must continually reassess and improve our schools’ security protocols. I’ve been working on this for years and the challenges are many. I have conducted numerous roundtables with law enforcement and school administrators regarding school safety, and I am currently developing an IED response training for School Resource Officers. I have also voted to strengthen the existing National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) by mandating that all federal agencies must report criminal convictions to the Attorney General and frequently voted in support of funding the National Institutes of Health, where the National Institute of Mental Health conducts research on mental disorders and their treatment.
Clearly, we must do better. We first need to lower the temperature on our rhetoric and increase our focus on fact-based solutions to make our precious children, and our great nation, safer. That includes reassessing everything from the physical security settings of our schools to improving our ability to provide a rapid, armed response to an active assailant.
For a more lasting solution, we must recognize the social, societal, and psychological drivers of this phenomenon and take a more wholistic approach. Our nation’s mental health crisis, the breakdown of the American family, our ailing culture flooded with violence, God swept from the public arena: A healthier society would be a safer one.
