I'm so glad we don't have the guns-in-schools thing here yet. I'm sure we will eventually, along with an armed police force. You can't stop progress. -sigh-
Most Americans I know can't believe it when I say police here don't carry guns. We have an armed offenders squad which is called out when someone goes nuts with a gun, which thankfully is not often. We have had our share of massacres, though none so far where children were the perpetrators as well as the victims.
The times I have been in the USA I was startled and a bit upset to realise how the visible presence of guns altered my view of people and my attitude towards them. Even with the police; it seemed to impose an unnatural and disturbing (to me) attitude of fear which I am not accustomed to feeling towards them.
You have to travel to realise how lucky you are, I guess.