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• Title: Response to Kristin Beals Bellar
• Author: Scott Bame
• Date: 04/12/2017
• Additional Categories: Recent Essays, Scott Boehme

Response to Kristin Beals Bellar

First let me state that I feel this is a sincere response by Ms. Bellar, not a smart-alack reply by someone. Therefore it deserves a sincere response.

The points I attempted to make is that if someone wants to do bad they will. If they cannot get a gun they will use something else. I just listed three examples if used would be more dangerous than a gun. A gun is a tool. If guns were the actual issue, then Great Britain would never have any attacks that kill people. Instead such individuals used something else.

When we look at the statistics, violent crime is down and especially so in states where the laws are more lenient for responsible people carrying guns. It all comes down to the People. Most newer guns could be loaded and used as a baseball for batting practice they are that safe. Please, do not try this, it is only an example of safety.

Most individuals are not afraid of a police officer carrying a gun. They are supposed to be well trained. This is what I am suggesting. If we take volunteers who have concealed carry permits and the proper insurance and additional training, such as what the police should be doing to train and we have them in the schools, with direction from the district, we will have a safer stronger defense against an attack of our children by most weapons. The schools are currently helpless against any attack and usually everything is over before the police arrive.

Most times in most emergencies the first responders are citizens doing their best. If it is an attack similar to Oklahoma's Murrah Building bombing little can be done by anyone, all defenses would be overwhelmed. Emergency responders are police and fire as well as similar units of protection. First responders are usually civilian.

Except for the police and the military, trained civilians that are in a positions of having to shoot at someone will do so only until the threat goes away. That means the person runs away, gives up, or goes down injured or dead. It is to stop the threat. Period. It is not to kill a person, just do whatever to stop the threat.

As for danger, granted a gun is a more powerful than most other weapons, but being more powerful does not mean more dangerous. A knife can kill or harm more individuals than a gun. It does not have to be reloaded. Asking how many chainsaws have been used in schools is not the issue, it was an example of a far more dangerous tool when it is used wrong. The real issue is if someone is going to do something bad, they will find something to use. If we have properly placed armed individuals in our schools we have a first defense against most kinds of an attack.

As for the shooting in California, if he had used his car instead of a gun, the result would be horrifically worse than it was. This must not happen in our schools. There are many, many more examples I could use of weapons but will not so as not to plant an idea into someone's mind.

Let me give a humorous example of more powerful versus more dangerous.

It may take an hour or so to mow a lawn with a lawn mower. Remember it is a swinging blade. Now let's ask, how long would it take to mow the lawn using a gun? Remember, it is a more powerful tool.

Also, I would like to see a weapons class that taught safe and proper handling of weapons to the students. There is no need to be afraid of a gun, or any weapon, only the person behind it. If trained volunteers who meet the standards are in the schools with a concealed weapon, it will be mostly invisible to the students. Whereas, police or military in uniform could be disruptive to the students.

You end your posting with: "I pray you never experience the loss of a family member to gun violence."

This is what I pray for every person. Violence comes from the person, not the gun or any weapon. If word got out that there were concealed carry individuals in the schools, that alone might be deterrent enough in some cases. Just like the police, it is not firing the gun that matters, it is the ability to do so to protect our most precious possession, our kids.

I know I won't change your mind. I won't try. Let us agree that our goal is the same, the children be safe in our schools. Where we may disagree is the method in doing so.

Thank you for your posting. I considered it thoughtful and sincere.

Scott Bame

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