No kidding! That was one of the things that baffled me when I heard about all this - that they were warning the students via email! A flashing light, a loud horn, these are not expensive devices and are going to be a lot more effective than sending email. And a couple of tests/drills wouldn't hurt either.
I'm sure that the presidnet of the college is going to get nailed for all this too. (and perhaps he should be). 1st of all if there is a shooting at 7:30am you dont assume that 'its contained' or whatever - ya lock down the whole college and THEN figure out what's really going on. Simple concept - error on the side of caution.
Not so sure I like the idea of schools looking like a prision either - metal detectors, locks and fences, etc - but something's gotta change.

>I don't see why every dorm and classroom building can't have an emergency light with sound which will sound off and flash red (like a fire truck) when the school is on lockdown. With today's means of communications it is feasible and not that expensive (considering other options). That way, every student in, entering, or leaving a building would know to stay put. Many of the students didn't check their email and didn't know the school was locked down even when it was.
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>>>>>Who would have known what he was?
>>>>>
>>>>>Let me ask you how many that were attacked wished there was someone in the crowd with a gun and knew how to use it? How may lives would have been saved if some one in the crowd had a gun and knew how to use it this past Monday.
>>>>
>>>>I keep hearing that argument, but I still think it's spurious. Back in the old wild west, everybody carried a gun, and we still think of it as the 'wild' west. There is a reason.
>>>
>>>It kinda is already. There are already millions and millions of guns out in America.
>>>
>>>>
>>>>>Did the fact that VT is a gun free environment save anybody's life?
>>>>
>>>>It's not a gun free environment. Who told you that? It's only a gun free environment if there are checks and methods to make sure it's gun free.
>>>
>>>>Wishing doesn't make it so.
>>>
>>>
>>>That's exactly my point. Having laws and restriction can't do much in an open society.
>>>As soon as they start to enforce some of these restrictions what happens?
>>
>>If they'd had metal detectors etc at the school, he'd have been detected long before he started firing.
>>
>>Like I said, it's only a gun free environment if you make sure it is.