Finally, A Sensible Move That May Reduce Violent Deaths

Everyone is concerned about kids being killed in schools. Ever since Parkland, “school shooting” has been synonymous with “mass shooting,” as if it only ever happens in schools. To be fair, even we on this side of the aisle seem to be a little susceptible to this, which is understanding considering the near-constant media barrage we’ve been under since February.

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In that time, there have been a ton of proposals that will supposedly save lives, most of which are nothing but a good way for a politician to feel good about themselves while not actually doing anything else.

However, there’s now a proposal that might save a whole lot of lives and guess what? It doesn’t involve taking away your right to keep and bear arms.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is offering a new $1.8 million grant for a program teaching high school students “mass casualty survival techniques” in the event of school shootings, expanding a training that some medical experts say should be “as common as CPR.”

The School-Age Trauma Training program will aim to teach high school students medical triage and bleeding control techniques to help victims who have sustained traumatic injuries until first responders arrive.

“Similar to how students learn health education and driver’s education, they must learn proper bleeding control techniques using commonly available materials; including how to use their hands, dressings and tourniquets,” the Department of Homeland Security said in an appendix to the grant announcement, specifically citing the frequency of school shootings. “Victims can quickly die from uncontrolled bleeding within five to 10 minutes; however, anyone at the scene can act as immediate responder and save lives if they know what to do.”

The grant opportunity was originally posted in July and was first reported by the Young Turks on Monday. School districts, nonprofits and other eligible groups have until Aug. 27 to apply for the grant. It could take about 36 months for the programs to be developed, the New York Times reported.

The training program is an example of the kind of safety measures that have been instituted in the wake of several deadly school shootings this year. In two of the worst incidents, 17 people were killed in the February shooting at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High Schools, and 10 more were killed in a shooting at a Sante Fe, Texas high school in May.

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Honestly, this is fantastic. Treating trauma is something that everyone should know how to do. It should be as common as CPR.

Look, my background includes serving as a Navy Corpsman. Treating trauma was part of our training for fairly obvious reasons. But most people aren’t taught how to treat various types of bleeding or other traumatic injuries. They don’t understand what to do besides dial 9-1-1.

The thing is, in the time it takes for help to arrive, the person might well have died. Something that doesn’t necessarily have to happen.

The kicker is that this will yield benefits far beyond what it’s designed to deal with, as schools aren’t the only place where bad things happen. Mass shootings can happen almost anywhere–though NRA annual meetings, gun ranges, and gun stores seem to be immune for some reason–and anyone wounded in those would benefit from quick treatment, yet that’s still only the tip of the iceberg.

Gang violence kills thousands every year. Imagine what would happen if people knew how to treat the wounds and buy EMS precious minutes to arrive and potentially save that person’s life? What would happen if knife wounds could be handled until the paramedics arrive? What about car accidents, where a bystander can render aid until help gets there?

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The possibilities for lives saved through this program are endless.

Unfortunately, the anti-gunners oppose this because gun control proposals do not accompany it.

“In the Army, I was trained to triage injuries and control severe bleeding. As a veteran now, I see no reason our children should endure the type of trauma training we provide our military,” Lindsey Donovan — a member of the Everytown Veterans Advisory Council, which advocates for gun control laws — said in a statement Tuesday. “If this is the Trump administration’s only solution to gun violence in schools, we have already failed. We don’t need to control the bleeding — we need stronger gun laws that are proven to reduce school shootings and save our children’s lives.”

In the Navy, I was trained to triage injuries and control severe bleeding. As a veteran now, I see every damn reason our children should undergo this kind of training.

It should have happened years ago and only a complete and total idiot would think that new gun laws would negate the need for people to undergo lifesaving education.

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