In their many attempts to avoid talking about gun control over the years, Republican officials and conservative pundits have come up with inventive, and often outrageous, solutions to America's mass shooting epidemic.
We witnessed that again this week, after the devastating elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that killed 19 children and two adults. Republican lawmakers and officials as well as Fox News commentators once again racked their brains to come up with creative ways to prevent mass shootings, none of which happen to have anything to do with restricting access to guns or even basic gun control reform.
Here’s a noncomprehensive list of the solutions they’ve offered as hundreds of mass shootings continue to happen every year and the staggering number of children who’ve experienced gun violence in school continues to rise.
1. Lock the doors
Sen. Ted Cruz at Robb Elementary school today. Sharing his thoughts on the shooting
2. Or build fewer doors
TX Lt Gov Dan Patrick, a fierce opponent of gun control, says today's shooting may have been caused by Texas schools having "too many entrances and too many exits."
3. Actually, just have one door
Texas Lt Gov Dan Patrick on "hardening" schools: "There should be one entrance in and one entrance out in all of our elementary and all of our middle schools. They're small enough to do that. There should be only one way in, and that should be a well protected entrance."
4. Taller fences
Fox is doing everything short of outright blaming the school for being a "soft target." Here they criticize Robb Elementary School for having "flimsy fencing" that didn't stop the shooter.
5. Buy "colorful and beautiful" ballistic blankets for classrooms instead of toys
6. Cover the windows
7. "Man traps"
8. Bulletproof glass
9. Bulletproof backpacks for kids
10. Metal detectors
11. Return to God
Our nation needs to take a serious look at the state of mental health today. Sometimes meds can be the problem. America is failing our youngest generations from decades of rejecting good moral values and teachings. We don’t need more gun control. We need to return to God.
12. Pray in school
It’s time to arm the teachers and bring back prayer in our public schools.
13. Mental health
Republicans have in recent years pivoted to blaming mass shootings on mental health issues. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott repeatedly blamed the Uvalde shooting on mental health, even though he acknowledged that the shooter had "no known mental health history."
14. More cops in schools
15. More armed teachers and school administrators
Asked on Newsmax about his solution for school shootings, Texas AG Ken Paxton mentions arming teachers
16. More armed guards
17. Be less "triggered" by guns so we can have more armed guards
On Fox News, Jeanine Pirro is asked what the political obstacle is to having armed guards at schools. “The pushback is that people today, many of them are intimidated. They are triggered, If there is someone with a gun. They are frightened. That’s the new narrative.”
18. Give tax breaks to retired military and law enforcement officers who volunteer to stand "outside the perimeter of every school in the country"
19. Stop playing video games
20. Stop vaccinating people against COVID
21. "A department that can look at young men that's looking at women that's looking at their social media"
Herschel Walker's solution to school shootings involves "a department that can look at young men that's looking at women that's looking at social media."