‘To a predatory killer, a “Gun-Free Zone” sign isn’t a deterrent; it’s an invitation. It signals a high-density area of defenseless targets. This is the Magnet Effect: the statistical reality that mass shooters bypass harder targets in favor of “soft targets” where they know the law-abiding have been forced to disarm. Criminals act rationally. They deliberately select locations where they can maximize casualties with minimal resistance, even when the planned intent of their final shot is their own suicide. They aren’t afraid of the police arriving in ten minutes; they are afraid of the defender who is already in the room.’
When I first sat down to write this, my intent was to present a clinical analysis of John Lott’s research and the statistical failure of the gun-free zone. But as the words hit the page, the data gave way to memories, and this piece transformed into something much more personal. It became a testament to why we founded FASTER Saves Lives (Faculty/Administrator Safety Training and Emergency Response)—a movement born out of a refusal to accept the status quo, but then thrust upon us by the horrific events of Sandy Hook.
I spent years traveling to dozens of late-night school board meetings, advocating for a solution to the “gun-free” death traps our children are forced to inhabit. I have sat in those sterile school boardrooms, looking into the eyes of policymakers, pleading for the “FASTER answer” to the helpless murder of our children. I remember looking into the eyes of a determined FASTER observer who, after witnessing the program’s impact, made the life-changing decision to take FASTER back to her own state to protect her own community. My direct involvement in those early training sessions is now a distant memory, but the impact remains etched in my mind.
I watched, firsthand, the profound transformation of our educators. I saw teachers who previously only had the “option” of saving their students by absorbing bullets meant for their children—dying as martyrs in a hallway—be transformed into empowered defenders of their defenseless pupils. I assisted at FASTER training sessions where the look of mandated helplessness was replaced by the quiet confidence of a protector.
NOTE from JCS: During the April 16, 2007 massacre at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Professor Liviu Librescu, a 76-year-old Holocaust survivor and professor of engineering mechanics, used his body to block the classroom door in Norris Hall as the gunman, Seung-Hui Cho, attempted to enter. By holding the door shut, he gave his students time to jump from the second-floor windows to safety. All who jumped survived; Librescu was shot through the door and killed.
By Sean Maloney
