Arm staff to end school shootings?

To The Daily Telegraph

I served as an infantryman for 35 years and had occasion to use a rifle and a pistol. Thanks to the superb training and preparation given by the British Army, I felt confident around firearms and used them appropriately when the time came. However, I hope never to touch a gun again. Making the correct decision in a split second, and using a gun effectively and within rules of engagement requires considerable training, focus and nerve. There are many terrorists still active because good soldiers could not be entirely confident that all procedures and criteria were in place to merit pulling the trigger; it is by no means straightforward.

Donald Trump’s plan to arm teachers and – worse – expect them to use their weapons properly, fills me with horror. Colonel Mark Rayner (retd), Eastbourne, East Sussex

To The Guardian

The maths teacher at my boarding school (circa 1959) lost her temper two or three times per lesson. She would fling chalk or, worse, the wooden board rubber at a pupil so hard that her body would swing sideways – she was quite out of control. How would we have fared had she possessed an assault rifle? Priscilla James, Stoke-by-clare, Suffolk

To The Guardian

Give teachers guns? Most of us struggle with staplers. Dorothy Granville, Middlesbrough