Editor, Gazette-Journal:

A U.S. Army field company averages 100 armed men. In the Uvalde, Texas, mass shooting, there were 375 police officers outside the room and school building. One armed gunman slaughtered two unarmed teachers and 19 children.

An hour passed during which for over 50 minutes no one approached the room in which the shooter was active. At least three armed and battle-armored police officers were there in the first five minutes of shooting. None tried to open the door. Then (barely 40 feet from the shooter) without contact they retreated with their AR-15s to duck safe back around the corner. To hide and wait, while 100 feet away, the killing continued.

One was willing to breach the enemy’s defenses. Because his daughter was in the room. He was “arrested”—held out of action—by his fellow officers.

The equivalent of three U.S. Army armed, equipped and trained field companies were immobilized, and acting as perimeter guards for the shooter.

Since the 1990s...