Armed teachers keep students safe

I respond to last Wednesday’s letter “Gun rights override safety” from Kirsten Kerr. She is justly concerned that her daughter’s school could be attacked by an active shooter. But then she begins to get it all wrong.

She blames the National Rifle Association’s “blood money” for keeping our representatives from acting on her agenda. The Dispatch has more than once published articles that show the NRA has, and spends, much less money than anti-gun groups. These articles show that the power of the NRA is the millions of us who honor America’s Constitution by voting.

We believe God gave people the unalienable right to life and the right to be able to defend life.

We want to keep Kerr’s daughter “safe from the next crazy person who is allowed to get a gun.” The first step is to arm and train her teachers. A trained staff can neutralize a threat long before the “first responders” arrive.

I recommend that Kerr actively lobby her school system to provide this layer of safety.

Millions of Americans buy guns and carry them responsibly out of sight, never harming anyone, for the express purpose of protecting the innocent.

I recommend that Kerr actively lobby her representatives to pass the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act (House Resolution 38).

That would be another step to keep her daughter safe.

Jim Lyle Columbus