WHILE SIDESHOW DON PLAYS TOUGH GUY IN DC
OUR SCHOOLS REMAIN SITTING DUCKS
As the nation braces for another school year, the specter of gun violence looms larger than a reality TV star’s ego. This week’s release of body cam footage and audio from the 2022 Uvalde, Texas, school massacre—where 19 children and two teachers were gunned down by a lone shooter wielding an AR-15—has ripped open old wounds and reignited a question that’s as persistent as a telemarketer: When, not if, will the next school shooting strike? Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump, now back in the White House, is busy staging his latest spectacle—a federal takeover of Washington, DC’s police force and a National Guard deployment that smells more like political theater than a genuine crackdown on crime. But when it comes to protecting our kids from the very real threat of gun violence in schools, Trump’s record is as silent as a classroom during a lockdown drill.
Let’s rewind to May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas, where the Robb Elementary School shooting became a grim milestone in America’s ongoing failure to address gun violence. The newly released records paint a harrowing picture: parents begging law enforcement to act, officers hesitating for 77 agonizing minutes, and a teenage gunman, Salvador Ramos, whose troubled history was a red flag ignored like a pop quiz on a Friday afternoon. The Justice Department’s report didn’t mince words, calling out leadership failures, poor decision-making, and a baffling refusal to treat the situation as an active shooter scenario. Yet, here we are, three years later, with schools across the country gearing up for another year of active shooter drills for kindergartners and bulletproof backpacks as must-have school supplies. And what has Trump, the self-proclaimed champion of law and order, done to make our schools safer? Spoiler alert: about as much as a substitute teacher on a snow day
Trump’s School Safety Plan: Arm Teachers, Blame Mental Health, Repeat
During his first term (2017–2020), school shootings didn’t just happen—they multiplied like roaches in a neglected kitchen. The stats are chilling: 60 school shootings in 2017, 119 in 2018, 124 in 2019, and 116 in 2020. That’s not a typo—those numbers reflect a reality where kids were more likely to dodge bullets than dodgeball. Trump’s response? A masterclass in deflection. At an NRA convention just days after the Uvalde massacre, he doubled down on arming teachers, pushing for metal detectors, single-point entries, and armed guards in schools—measures that sound tough but crumble under scrutiny. Uvalde had many of these “hardening” measures in place: locked doors, a district police force, regular drills. Yet, a propped-open backdoor and a delayed police response let the shooter waltz in and wreak havoc.
Trump’s go-to solution—arming teachers—is as practical as handing a toddler a flamethrower to fight a kitchen fire. Picture Mrs. Thompson, the algebra teacher, trying to outdraw a gunman with an AR-15 while simultaneously managing a roomful of panicked teens. Studies, like one from the Urban Institute, show no clear evidence that pouring money into school security reduces gun violence. In fact, lockdown drills and fortified campuses can traumatize students and foster a prison-like atmosphere, especially for kids of color. Trump’s other favorite talking point—mental health—sounds reasonable until you realize his administration gutted school safety initiatives, including a committee created by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to address these very issues. So much for “thoughts and prayers” translating into action.
The DC Distraction: A Political Stunt with Authoritarian Vibes
While schools brace for the inevitable, Trump’s latest stunt is a federal takeover of Washington, DC’s police force and a National Guard deployment that’s more photo-op than public safety. On August 11, 2025, he declared a “public safety emergency” in DC, painting a dystopian picture of “violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals” overrunning the capital. Never mind that violent crime in DC has been dropping since 2023, with homicides and carjackings down significantly. This isn’t about facts; it’s about flexing executive muscle. Under the Home Rule Act, Trump can control DC’s police for 30 days without congressional approval, but extending it requires Capitol Hill’s blessing—a hurdle even his Republican allies might balk at.
Critics, including Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, call it a “brazen power grab,” likening it to “dictator-level stuff.” The move sidestep DC’s mayor and police leadership, who were blindsided by the announcement. Trump’s eyeing similar takeovers in cities like New York and Chicago, but legal and logistical barriers—especially in blue states—make that a tougher sell. For now, DC is his stage, complete with armored personnel carriers and DEA agents patrolling the National Mall. It’s a spectacle designed to energize his base and distract from other controversies, like his failure to release promised files on Jeffrey Epstein. But while Trump plays tough guy in DC, the real crisis—gun violence in schools—gets the cold shoulder.
The AR-15 Elephant in the Room
Let’s talk about the real problem: guns, particularly weapons of war like the AR-15. The Uvalde shooter bought two AR-style rifles legally just days after turning 18, along with 375 rounds of ammunition. In Georgia’s recent Apalachee High School shooting, a 14-year-old used a similar weapon to kill four people. These aren’t hunting rifles or self-defense handguns; they’re designed to maximize carnage. Yet, Trump’s solution isn’t to restrict access but to arm more people, as if schools need to become Wild West shootouts. He’s vowed to roll back Biden-era gun regulations, like the bump stock ban enacted after the 2017 Las Vegas massacre.
The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022, signed by President Biden post-Uvalde, was a rare win for gun reform, expanding background checks and funding mental health and school safety. It led to a 24% drop in mass shootings from 2023 to 2024, with gun deaths falling 12%. But Trump’s team is already dismantling these gains, with plans to defund community violence prevention and weaken background checks. Meanwhile, states like Texas, under Governor Greg Abbott, have doubled down on loosening gun laws, allowing permitless carry despite Uvalde’s scars.
Bulletproof Backpacks and Kindergarten Drills: The New Normal?
As schools reopen, parents are shelling out for bulletproof backpacks, and kids as young as five are practicing active shooter drills. This isn’t freedom; it’s dystopia. The idea that we need armed National Guard troops in schools to keep kids safe is as absurd as it is chilling. Deploying the Guard might make for a good soundbite, but it doesn’t address the root issue: easy access to high-powered firearms. Red flag laws, universal background checks, and assault weapon bans—measures supported by most Americans—could make a dent, but they’re kryptonite to the NRA-backed GOP.
Trump’s silence on urban gun violence, except when it suits his narrative, is deafening. His DC crackdown ignores the fact that cities like Philadelphia and Chicago have seen crime drop in 2024 and 2025. Instead of tackling the gun epidemic, he’s fiddling with authoritarian optics while schools remain soft targets. The Uvalde footage is a gut-punch reminder: nearly 400 officers stood by as children bled out. No amount of metal detectors or armed teachers can fix a system that lets an 18-year-old buy an AR-15 faster than he can buy a beer.
Time to Stop the Sideshow
Trump’s tough-guy routine might thrill his base, but it’s a hollow act when kids are still ducking and covering. The names of Uvalde’s victims—Emily, Michael, Sarah, and others—deserve more than empty rhetoric. We need leaders who’ll stand up to the gun lobby, not kneel before it. Comprehensive gun reform isn’t a pipe dream; it’s a necessity. Until then, every school bell rings with a warning: the next tragedy is just a trigger pull away. So, while Sideshow Don struts his stuff in DC, let’s demand real solutions—because our kids deserve better than a starring role in America’s next horror show.
Trump’s Washington, DC, crackdown is a political stunt. But it could take a much darker turn | CNN Politics https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/12/politics/trump-washington-dc-police-national-guard-analysis
After D.C., Trump wants to ‘takeover’ New York and Chicago. Can he? | The Independent https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-national-guard-nyc-chicago-b2806368.html
School officials release records from 2022 Uvalde, Texas, shooting | AP News https://apnews.com/article/uvalde-shooting-texas-robb-documents-41ced1e34867639e48a0490c65a0722d
Big Education Ape: DOJ Releases Report on its Critical Incident Review of the Response to the Mass Shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas https://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2024/01/doj-releases-report-on-its-critical.html
