Armed guards everywhere

In response to the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, National Rifle Association President Wayne LaPierre boldly suggested, “The only thing that stops a bad guy is a good guy with a gun.”

On April 2, a supposedly independent review board hired by the NRA and led by former Congressman Asa Hutchinson transformed LaPierre’s words into tangible policy, advocating for armed security guards in all schools.

But why stop at schools? After all, history tells us that violent mentally ill white men with completely unrestricted access to semiautomatic assault weapons and high-capacity magazines are equal opportunity when it comes to inflicting carnage and suffering. Churches, malls, parks – basically any public facility – have been shown to be a target of these mass murderers.

And since the NRA, congressional Republicans, and even some Democrats, clearly have no desire to make it harder for these people to carry out such horrible attacks, we had better be prepared to defend ourselves at any and all of these places when the next attack happens again, and again, and again, and again, and again.

Richard Martin

Spokane