Lucky for Marlboro, New Jersey mayor Jonathan Hornik he’s a Democrat. Were he not, it is hard to see how his segment this afternoon with CNN’s Don Lemon would have been so civil. Lemon, just one of many CNN gun-control hysterics, actually treated with respect someone who agreed with the NRA’s proposal to place armed guards in schools. I was expecting the kind of confrontational fireworks that most certainly would have come had Hornik been a Republican.
Quite a media world we live in when it’s worth noting every time a guest not towing the liberal line is treated with civility on CNN. Anyway…
Hornik says the idea to place an armed police officer in all nine of his schools didn’t come from the NRA. It was something he decided to do in the wake of the Newtown murders based on the recommendation of local law enforcement:
Last week, Marlboro, NJ decided to arm security officers in its nine public schools after Newtown, Conn., school massacre. Local police recommended the measure to boost school security and it was approved for a 3-month trial period by the school board, Marlboro Mayor Jonathan Hornik said. The decision made national news and caused an outcry in some quarters. Hornik said he received many critical emails, mostly from people outside the town.
The move came before the National Rifle Association on Friday recommended that schools across the country employ armed police officers in response to Newtown. The proposal drew harsh criticism from New York education officials and politicians, with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg describing it as a “shameful evasion of the crisis facing our country.” Hornik, a Democrat, said his decision wasn’t prompted by the NRA and he believes in gun control.
“I’ve got liberals [mad] at me. I’ve got the conservatives [mad] by saying the NRA is ridiculous,” Hornik said . “I’m not a lunatic, trust me. I’m not someone who can just sit there and hope that our children will be safe in our schools.”
“I do not support the NRA,” he added.
Hornik might not support the NRA, but he most certainly supports putting the safety of schoolchildren above political expediency. That, of course, is heresy in most left-wing circles, especially when the end-result affirms a position taken by an outfit the media considers evil, like the NRA.
Hornik is also making the NRA’s idea a better one. The NRA’s suggestion that placing armed guards in all 100,000 or so public schools is a good one until you get to the part about the federal government funding and overseeing the program’s implementation. The last thing we need are 250,000 more unionized federal employees.
A local mayor working with the local police department, however, is exactly how this could/should be done. Hornik also told CNN’s Lemon that the added security is being paid for out of school funds, and heaven knows that if there is any government institution bloated with money, it’s our public school system. In fact, it is hard to imagine any public school system not being able to cut a little bloat here and there in order to afford another employee or two, especially an employee with the training to bring down a cold-blooded murderer almost immediately.
It is also smart for Hornik to let the world know his schools are now protected by firearms. Unlike “gun-free zones” that advertise a building full of sitting ducks, an “armed zone” can work as a deterrent.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC
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