Myriad problems when taking ‘meaningful action’ on gun attacks

WHEN Barack Obama, hours after the massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, talked of the need for “meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this”, half the world nodded in agreement.

But what did he actually mean? What’s “meaningful action” in this context?

Meaningful preventive actions had been taken at Newtown at the behest of principal Dawn Hochsprung, who just weeks ago notified parents that, when they visited and if they weren’t recognised, they’d be asked for identification. Message: The children at Dawn’s school were going to be protected. The security systems were robust. Despite the cheery “Welcome, Visitors” sign outside the gates, people couldn’t just walk in and out of the building. Once roll-call time came at 9.30am, the doors were locked. Visitors had to ring a bell, and when they did, their faces came up for viewing on monitors inside the school. That represents an admirable degree of formal, planned protection for children and school staff.