After thoughts, prayers and inaction, maybe it’s time to give kids flak jackets

Seventeen people were gunned down in a high school last Wednesday.

That’s twice as many students and teachers killed in a single day as law-enforcement officers killed in all of last year in Florida.

Obviously, we must do something. I propose bulletproof windows and doors in every school.

And maybe Kevlar vests and ballistic helmets for every child.

The costs will be exorbitant, the measures tragically extreme.

I actually think there are much better things we could do.

But we don’t do any of it.

Instead, after every slaughter — in a school, nightclub or workplace — politicians offer tweets, thoughts, prayers … and inaction.

I’ve been a church-going man my entire life. If one of my fellow parishioners made a big show of praying to end hunger every week — without ever actually lifting a finger to feed anyone — I wouldn’t put much stock in his prayers.

Or his faith.

So if we won’t try to stop the bullets from flying, at least we can try to stop them from piercing our children’s chests.

I’ve found some lightweight active-shooter body armor available for $200, including plates.

Again, I think there are better solutions — improving mental-health services, our court system and the prevalence of weapons designed to slay as many humans as quickly as possible.

And not just government solutions. Research shows mass murderers rarely act without showing warning signs. We have to be better about speaking up. Authorities must be more vigilant in following up. We should also admit that pop culture that drowns children in violence affects their still-developing brains.

It’s not either/or. The solutions aren’t liberal or conservative. If you are only screaming about half the solutions, you’re not really trying to solve the equation. You’re just engaging in tribalism.

But government is a key part. We must spend more money on mental health. Not just for shootings. In fact, those suffering from mental illness are far more likely to be victims of crime than perpetrators. We must fund this because it’s a societal crisis.

Florida politicians say they agree with me. They say so every time another batch of their constituents gets slaughtered.

But they lie. Or at least they don’t follow through. Last year — after Pulse and with Florida ranking 48th or 49th in mental-health funding — we saw headlines like: “Florida Legislature, agency let $20M in aid for drug, mental health care end” and “Parents, advocates beg lawmakers not to cut mental health funding.”

I didn’t know it was mathematically possible to make cuts when you’re already 49th.

I didn’t think it was morally possible either … especially for people who talk so much about prayer.

Leaders in Congress and Legislature have also done little to stop convicted criminals, terrorists or the mentally ill from getting their hands on high-capacity weapons.

Polls show virtually everyone — Republicans, Democrats, gun owners — believes all gun buyers should first pass a background check.

The 10 percent or so who disagree include terrorists, killers, the NRA and the politicians they own. That’s quite a team.

But Republicans in the Legislature and Congress refuse.

If you are one of the 92 percent of Republicans who believe in universal background checks — and yet support politicians in your party who oppose them, you’re an enabler.

Nearly 80 percent of Americans believe in banning the sales of high-capacity magazines — for the same reason automatic firearms are already banned. These aren’t weapons for hunting or protection. They are made for human slaughter.

But legislative Republicans haven’t even allowed hearings on the issue. Why? Because they know they’re on the wrong side of safety and public sentiment and don’t want to go on the record as such.

Instead, some now want to shift all attention of the FBI. The agency appears to have fallen revoltingly short in the Parkland case. We need answers. But watch for politicians who try to divert all the attention there, ignoring all the other shootings that happen over and over and over.

So maybe we need bulletproof glass in every math class and science lab.

At this point, I want to ask a favor: If you agree we must do something, don’t write me to say so. While I love hearing from readers, I already agree with you. I wrote this.

Direct your energy to elected officials (leg.state.fl.us; House.gov and Senate.gov). Learn about the efforts of national organizations like SandyHookPromise.org and local ones like the Florida League of Women Voters (www.lwvfl.org

And if you disagree with me we and think calls for action and fussing about dead teenagers is shrill reactionism — and that mass murder is just a part of American life we must all accept — just keep doing what you’re doing … nothing.

Just ignore people like the father of 14-year-old Jaime Guttenberg, who told a crowd that his daughter was at school where: “She was supposed to be safe!”

And ignore people like 17-year-old survivor David Hogg, who said he was sick of politicians merely offering “thoughts and prayers.” “What we need more than that is action. Please!” he begged. “We are children. You guys are, like, the adults. Work together, come over your politics, and get something done.”

Amen, David.

But if we are going to ignore him again, let’s at least get him and his fellow students level 3 bullet-resistant doors.

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