ARMED AT SCHOOL

Concerning armed teachers, it’s too bad the school system is no longer a safe haven learning environment. I’m retired from law enforcement and the military.

There was a time when an active shooter situation meant maintaining a perimeter for SWAT arrival. That was changed to first arriving unit to confront the attacker and neutralize the threat.

Passing a background check and safe handling of a firearm does not make a person proficient in placing rounds on a target without collateral damage. Is the teacher willing to discharge a firearm in defense of their lives and students? Not a lot of people are. I don’t see how school safety evolved into a 407-page report.

I’ve been through tactical firearm courses. I have a concealed weapon permit and I’m a retired law enforcement officer qualified to carry a concealed firearm. I’m not technically allowed to carry concealed on an educational institution. Why is that?

Retired officers with these credentials should be allowed to carry on school grounds. It’s been discussed and voted down more than once. By the sheer virtue of entering school grounds, I’m placing myself at risk.

Unfortunately, schools aren’t the only soft target. Is every identifiable soft target getting the same consideration and expense?

– V. Parlatore, Pembroke Pines