In the Senses Novels, a dystopian future is presented, one where private citizens owning guns is illegal. The books are fiction that could become a dangerous reality under certain conditions. That being said, the only gun control measure that will totally stop gun violence is to remove every gun in the United States. That is an impossibility, and everyone should realize it. One in three Americans owns a gun and with every call for more ‘gun control’, the grip on those guns actually tightens. There is also truth in the statement that criminals aren’t going to obey a law that makes a gun illegal.
Politicians, news pundits, and their ilk will continue to fill the air with their nonsense about making this type of gun illegal or better background checks, etc. because that is who they are. They do not look at things logically, only emotionally.
I also want to address a falsehood that is making the rounds through FB and other Social Media outlets. School shootings did not start thirty years ago. The first recorded school shooting in the United States of America was in the 1700’s, and the list fills up all through the 1800’s and early 1900’s. This has been with us for a very long time.
There is a second falsehood as well. While it is true that good guys with guns can stop bad guys with guns, it doesn’t and can’t always happen. And, no metal detector or X-Ray machine is infallible, I know, I’ve worked with both. If someone wants to bring a firearm, or a knife, or a bomb, into a building, they will find a way. It happens everywhere.
But there is a solution. It is one that couldn’t have been put in place before today’s technology and even a minimal understanding of human nature. Understand, this is only one possible solution and, I have no doubt, that many of you will find ways to ‘shoot holes in it,’ pun intended.
Today, on one of my favorite websites, miniature drones are for sale for $180.00. They are lightweight drones that come equipped with a High Definition camera. Many, if not most, schools today have cameras in their hallways. Three things need to happen in order to turn these things into a defense against any type of aggressor.
1. The hallway cameras need to be tied to a computer with pattern recognition software. This software should be able to discern, from basic structure, a gun or knife of any kind. All guns have barrels, all knives have blades. The software could be refined to determine stocks and handles if necessary.
2. The hallway camera computer also needs facial recognition software and secure Wi-Fi.
3. The drones need to be fitted with a Wi-Fi receptor and the same small chip used today in phones for the facial recognition.
In a situation where the computer detects someone with a weapon, it could be programmed to either act independently or sound an alert so someone can make the decision to act. That action would be to release a series of drones to make an attack on the would-be aggressor and fly directly into their face.
Human nature is to defend our faces. To throw our hand or arms in front of our face when something is heading toward it. You cannot be shooting or stabbing someone when you are trying to keep flying objects out of your eyes.
This should have the effect of either driving the aggressor out or allowing enough time for First Responders to be notified. It also should allow enough time for anyone in the hallway to seek cover. With the cameras available it should be easy to see that the corridor is cleared of non-aggressors.
There are a number of other things that can be done at this point depending on will and finances. Loud sirens in the 200-decibel range will rupture eardrums causing anyone enough pain to stop whatever they are doing. Rapidly flashing bright lights can cause seizures. These are both easily installed in a school, mall or government building.
This is just one idea that helps to remove the human element (someone could make a lot of money turning this into a business!) We need to deal with the reality that these threats have been with us almost since we were founded as a nation. If the idea is to stop the bloodshed, then we need to focus on the immediate first. I agree that long-term mental health issues need to be taken care of, and long-range planning is wonderful, but we need to stop the problem now. To do that, we need to be aggressive too.
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