Two measures that might help prevent some school violence were killed in Congress in 1999. The first measure would have required the sale of a child safety lock with every gun sold. The other was legislation that would have held adults responsible if their gun were used by a child to shoot someone. Demonstrating his conviction that the federal government does have a role in making schools safe, President Clinton established a federal crisis-intervention team to respond to violent incidents at schools. In addition, he instituted the creation of a special fund to increase the number of school police.
Most reasonable people agree that there is no one single solution to the school violence problem.
Most advocate a combination of efforts such as community involvement, restricting access to violence in the media, smaller classes, greater law enforcement and gun control laws. In fact, like solving school violence, it is likely that a combination of efforts in the end may be the solution to improving America's public schools. It is unlikely that tuition vouchers, charter schools, increased funding or national standards alone will transform our educational system. One thing that can be counted on is that ultimately it is up to citizens to decide how to improve school performance. Educators and researchers can offer guidance, but the final decision will be made in the voting booth.