I understand why the NRA says put guards at the school, but why? The teachers are already there and as seen by the heroic efforts of the unarmed teachers to defend the children, imagine how much better the results would be had they been armed and trained.

Rather than add a whole lot more tax dollars by adding more staff to sit around at school and wait for an intruder to show up, let’s add a little more money in training the teachers to defend themselves and their pupils. A pump action shotgun is very easy to learn to use – say a Remington 870 in 20 gauge. Put them adjacent to each fire extinguisher in the school in a locked cabinet with a Gun Vault type finger combination that only the teachers have.

Also, allow teachers to CCW at school.

Simple solutions are better than adding a new level of bureaucracy!

I have been a gun owner since 2004 and I have taken numerous personal defense and firearm classes. After the incident in CT, as well as a local shooting in our area where a 3 year old died in an accidental shooting, I can honestly say that the question of “Do I need a firearm?” has crossed my mind. Do I want that overwhelming responsibility of owning and carrying a firearm? The answer is Yes! I store my firearms responsibly. I enjoy the sport of shooting and as a violent crime survivour I know that a gun is the ultimate personal defense device. However, I don’t believe in Assault Rifles and I don’t agree with high capacity magazines for assault rifles. I think every single person buying a firearm must be background checked and we should close the gun show loophole. I do own handguns with 17 and 12 round magazines but I rarely carry one for personal defense. Those are for home defense. I prefer a S&W centennial model 642 and 640 5 shot .38+P and .357 Magnum for concealed carry. I feel these compact 5 shot revolvers are more than adequate for personal defense. I also can’t help but notice tha every one of these mass shootings have been in gun free zones. If law abiding citizens are disarmed in public places and schools then we better be providing a uniformed police officer in these gun free zones. I also believe the media is out of control. Every time there is a mass shooting the media gives the shooter all the attention. It sends the wrong message to other people who are emotionally disturbed. An overwhelming majority of Gun owners are responsible and its estimated firearms are used 2,000,000 times a year for self defense. I don’t know if banning assault rifles and high capacity magazines will prevent these shootings. However I don’t believe 100 round AR magazines should be available for purchase. I believe we are going to have to invest a lot of money into public safety and fortifying vulnerable places. We must also invest in the best psychiatric care possible and know the warning signs of someone who may commit violent acts.