Did the committee discuss how many students are currently on anti-psychotic drugs – as all the recent spree killers have been?

Did they discuss having armed guards, and letting teachers and staffers volunteer to be armed?

Mike, instead of being obtuse just say what you are advocating for.

Are you saying the school board should register all kids on meds, or be able to override a doctors order? I would think the fact that "all the recent spree killers" were on meds would be elementary as obviously they had mental issues.

Also show us a list of teachers volunteering to be mercenaries. I would like to see this spontaneous outpouring of machismo from our teachers. They are already overpaid so why not add "full time bodyguard" to the list? Maybe then we can sue them if a shooter manages to kill some kids on their watch.

It astounds me that you regularly berate these people as being morons and yet now are vociferously advocating we put weapons in their hands and tell them to play Charles Bronson. These are not military personnel they are educators. And it's not like Chelmsford has been overcome by shootings. I guarantee that if you let more people carry you'd have more gun crime - but if you disagree then lets agree to mandate all postal workers carry weapons too, given their rate of gun violence they clearly need the right to defend themselves.

It's not like having a gun is a magic cure all - look at Fort Hood, trained military officers killed by the dozen even though they had ready access to "assault " rifles, grenades, etc .

Also why isn't the fire department arming firemen after that recent ambush shooting? Clearly they need guns not hoses.

Bottom line, people need to understand the trade off with weapons before they go fetishizing them as magical talismans. My sister is a cop as my grandfather was and they've seen point blank shootouts where nobody got hit.

When I moved to Dorchester for a couple years I was intent on arming and protecting myself until a fried of mine ( long time martial arts instructor) gave me this book. It is a fascinating read and I swear saved my life.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1594391181

I had a gun pulled on me four times in those years and tree of those guys went to jail because of my actions. I have no doubt I would be dead if I had a gun.

The fact is we can't model all your gun rights discussions around mass murderers - the majority of gun crime is at the personal level not the spree situation. Let people own guns, let them have automatics if they register them all , and let the jail time for unregistered guns be 5 years in prison. But saying educators should be self defense experts is insane.

"Statistically, schools are the safest place where your kids can be." Bet that's what the folks in CT thought too. Things just happen sometimes ... I like what I saw in last night's news on WBZ, forgot the town, think Sudbury. School doors are locked, a camera device outside the school building identifies any visitor and if the visitor is not recognized, an ID or pass must be shown to the camera and if still unrecognized, entry cannot occur. But ... but, the doors were all glass ... I don't think there is anything that is foolproof. Who really knows how safe our kids are, in or out of school? Repeat, things just happen sometimes and we can apply all the safeguards we can think of and still tragedy's occur.

Sure, things just happen sometimes. But it's important to consider the raw truth of statistics and probability. What would protect our kids more in terms of addressing situations where kids are most likely to get hurt or killed? Investing in armed guards and introducing lethal weapons on school grounds? Improving after school programs? Better parks and playgrounds? Better and safer transportation options?

In the long run, restrictions on guns are the most logical approach. Have to laugh at the attempt here to change the subject from lethal guns to psychotic drugs. There are about 300 million guns in the United States and over 11,000 murders by guns last year. my suggestion- focus on the guns.,the mentally deranged and psychotic drugs , protecting the home or hunting with semi-automatic weapons with 30 bullet magazines are the problem, gun shows, background checks, waiting periods. Amazed that these common sense measures have not been put into effect yet, but then again there is the NRA, and the government tyranny nut cases out there. Nice try , though.

TO: Andrew Silvia

>> So you're implying that anyone on anti-psychotic drugs is a murderer waiting to happen?

HARDLY! But the dirty secret nobody wants to talk about is that there are kids - teenagers - and adults who HAVE been diagnosed as DANGEROUSLY psychotic - and they're being treated with drugs while 'professionals' try to mainstream them.

AND - citing 'privacy' they won't tell schools WHO these kids are. So when an Adam Lanza shows up back at the school he attended - somehow he gets in. Jared Laughner - the Tucson shooter - was another...

While spree killings are really quite rare, they happen in all countries.

Tim Miranda just suggested 'better playgrounds'... Sorry, my eyeballs are rolling. Playgrounds won't protect your kids from a crazed shooter - or a drug dealer. A trained armed guard will.

Or, as Anna does, - you can just pray.... My mother used to say 'The Lord helps those, - who help themselves..." The Israelis are surrounded by crazed madmen. They learned to deal with school shootings in the 50s. Their teachers are armed; and you don't hear about school shootings there anymore.

I agree with Iron Mike about the anti-psychotic drugs. I think Doctors are way to quick to prescribe these drugs to children, it makes it easier for everyone involved. Its easier on the doctor and the parents. Its not on the child though. I think one big epidemic that is being ignored,is the over medication of our children. No one knows the long term effect these drugs have on the brain. And, no I don't think that anyone on anti-psychotic drugs are murderers waiting to happen. I just feel that there is other ways to deal with all these diagnosis, like ocd, adhd. Like get the kids away from the TV, video games, and play outside. And, as far as banning guns from law abiding citizens. I saw a movie once where only the state and the police had guns, it was called schindler's list. I for one don't want to live in a Country like that and sure as hell don't want my children to grow up in a country like that.

You say students safety is priority??? Then when on earth has the McCarthy NOT have one lock down yet? You say students feel safe? maybe you should talk to the 5th graders at mccarthy and ask them if they know what to do and where to go in the new school? Yes the schools following the same procedures but the 5th graders are new to the school and some things are different. I as a parent have a knot in my stomach everytime I drop my child off in the morning.

BREAKING: 2:20 PM Thursday Jan 10th

SHOTGUN used in school shooting – Taft, Calif – one student wounded – one in custody. Think we'll EVER get the shooter's medical history?

Mike Rigney, Thank you for your generous reply. Its nice to finally get one. I did speak with the Mr. Mcphee and I will the rest of the conversation for a private one. I feel very comfortable dropping my son off at the Harrington. I absolutly love Mr. Lacava! He is extremely friendly, helping, caring ect. The secrataries, nurse, teachers are also very nice. Another school shooting happened today. It makes me sick to my stomach to feel so unsafe dropping my daughter off. I know her teachers will do what they have to to protect the kids But I still feel unsafe. Maybe I am just being over the top and sensative. Again thank you for replying to me.

Andrew ... given the real concerns of some of the parents of kids at McCarthy and the HS, do you think it would be wise for Tiano to see some of these comments so that he can properly address them? Is there way to get these messages to him?