Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is admitting they screwed up on Jan. 5, 2018 when they received information from a concerned citizen about 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz of Parkland, Florida being a threat to the community and his intentions to be a “professional school shooter.” The FBI’s alleged inaction allowed Cruz to walk into his former high school and take 17 lives with an AR-15 assault rifle that he legally purchased.

Last week’s Valentine’s Day Florida school shooting is only the latest in a series of school and mass shootings torturing the United States of America.

Guns are so out of control in the USA they will never be in control. What can be done to rein in an estimated 350 to 400-million guns in private hands including 5-million assault rifles? This is the big picture before President Donald Trump, the U.S. Congress, state legislatures and law enforcement officials nationwide.

There’s the U.S. Constitution’s 2nd Amendment guarantee that American citizens have the right to keep and bear arms for self-protection, enjoyment like target shooting and hunting. Other constitutional rights guarantee a right to privacy for the mentally unfit to hide behind. It’s not against the law to be crazy unless the crazy people break laws or are an immediate danger to themselves or others. Trying to determine who is insane and who is sane is a dangerous legal gray area to easily violate someone’s constitutional rights. Are you just a little nuts or a total wacko? Looney people are everywhere you look. Guns are everywhere, too. If you can’t buy one at a licensed gun shop go to the nearest ghetto and ask around at the pool hall.

Guns are stolen everyday across America. Other than money, drugs and jewelry — guns are a top priority for thieves. These AR-15 rifles, just like the one used in the Florida school shooting, are available on the street as well without any paperwork or waiting period — cash and carry.

In the case of Florida’s latest school shooter the suspect undoubtedly had serious mental problems that everyone in his circle knew about. News reports say Cruz was involved in 39 calls for police assistance at his home over time, but still, without a criminal record, police say Cruz was legally able to purchase that high-powered AR-15 semi-automatic rifle he is accused of taking to his former high school, opening fire and claiming 17 lives – 14 teenagers, a football coach and two teachers – in three or four minutes – and wounding many more. Cruz then laid down his weapon and ran from the building blending in with the other fleeing students. He was apprehended by police later in the day.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) lays the blame for this tragedy on the FBI for ignoring the Jan. 5 tip about Cruz that came in from someone obviously close to Cruz who knew he was a danger.

“We constantly promote ‘see something, say something’ and a courageous person did just that to the FBI. And the FBI failed to act … The FBI director needs to resign,” Scott said on Friday. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has opened an investigation into the FBI doing nothing to chase down Cruz and possibly stop the shooting, according to news reports.

Had the national FBI switchboard in Washington, DC notified the local Florida FBI office about the Jan. 5 tip and had they performed a routine local police computer records check on Nikolas Cruz they would have found him – hiding in plain sight – but they didn’t. Civil lawsuits against the FBI are sure to be filed by attorneys representing these victims’ families.

In his emotional speech to the nation, President Trump said securing the nation’s schools must be a top priority to be addressed immediately along with mental health issues on local and state levels.

“It is not enough to simply take actions that make us feel like we are making a difference,” Trump said. “We must actually make that difference.”

There have been dozens of school shootings over the past few years – Columbine, Sandy Hook. Not to mention last year’s most deadly mass shooting in Las Vegas taking 58 lives during an outside music concert. There’s more than enough evidence to prove guns are out of control in America. Everyday some 90 lives are lost to gun violence. Every year gun manufacturers in the USA are producing and selling more than 10-million new guns of all descriptions – revolvers, pistols, shotguns, rifles and military-type assault weapons.

The debate to ban guns, ban assault rifles, ban ammunition, ban long clips, gun buybacks, open carry, armed teachers, stand-your-ground laws, gun-free safe zones, tax guns out of existence, sue gun manufactures out of business and so forth will certainly rage on, but what can be done now to “actually make that difference” the president is talking about.

At this point President Trump is right to call for additional security for all schools across the nation. In this day and age you can’t do enough to keep school children safe. My goodness, the governors in all 50 states should call out their U.S. National Guard Army troops and station them inside and outside every school in their state – public or private. Every school district should be calling for this to happen now – not later. School boards, parents, teachers and administrators would be crazy not to want armed troops in schools in addition to local armed school resource officers. They won’t scare the kids but an active shooter sure will.

Plus put an armed guardsman on every school bus. It’s time to take this ongoing deadly threat seriously. Bring in the metal detectors. Spend the money.

In addition, President Trump has the authority to bring in federal military troops – not only to the schools, but to shopping malls, movie theaters, sporting events and outdoor concerts, etc. Put them on public trains and subways. The more armed guards are visible the better. Gun threats don’t just come from crazy people. Don’t forget for a minute that radical Islam is preparing attacks against Democracy and Christianity within the USA.

The future of guns in America will play out in time, but in the meantime President Trump, the congress, state governors and law enforcement everywhere must see that the problem of guns in America must be dealt with on many levels, but it’s time call out the troops. Local law enforcement can’t do it all. For the most part the military and the National Guard are being paid anyway so the cost to put armed troops in schools and other locations wouldn’t be cost prohibitive.

Yes, it’s a sad commentary on the State-of-the-Union turning into a police state but that’s where all this gun violence and domestic terror is taking the USA. As for Nikolas Cruz, now police say he has confessed so say hello to Florida’s death row.

Every parent’s horror just happened again. They sent their kids off to school on Valentine’s Day and 14 sons and daughters did not come home. Three adults were also ripped from their families.

The nation yet grieves again as we see their pictures, look at their innocent faces and witness their funerals.

About the Author Britt Nelson relocated to Costa Rica in 2011 from Florida, where he served as news editor for the Palatka Daily News, a newspaper owned by the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group (NYT-RNG) for 20 years.

Nelson served the NYT-RNG for 18 years in Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina and Florida as a correspondent, reporter, staff writer, senior staff writer training new reporters, copy editor, page designer, editorial writer, editorial page editor and editorial board member.