A Better Way
Combat-trained school resource officer says campus fortifications, not armed teachers, are the way to protect students. Resource Officer Francis Smith served 21 years as an airborne infantry medic, he's jumped out of airplanes and is a certified SWAT operator who trains weekly to keep his skills sharp. In short, he's a badass. But he'll tell you that with all his training and combat experience, if he has to relyonly on his 9 mm Glock in a gun battle against even an amateur with an AR-15 rifle, he's outgunned and outmatched. "It's a suicide mission," Smith said. "You're facing an attack rifle that can shoot over 300 meters versus a sidearm that is effective for about 40 meters." "It kind of frightens me to have an educator come to school with the mindset that you may need to end someone's life. You need to be trained to have the focus you need for that, and you cannot wait for an adrenaline-rush event to do somethin