Arming teachers is a bad idea

To the editor:

Recent controversy over whether teachers should be armed seems to have missed a key point. You can arm someone and teach him how to shoot, but you cannot make him shoot someone if he needs to.

As a former soldier and the son of a law enforcement officer, I know that just because you have the ability to shoot a firearm does not mean you have the ability to shoot someone. The decision to possibly take another human's life is not as easy as some might argue. Teachers are taught to be empathetic and to work with students, not shoot them.

Putting a teacher in a position where he may have to take the life of a student is a no-win scenario. Some teachers may be able to shoot if the need arises, others would supply the wrong person with a weapon.

Arming school teachers is a bad idea. I think we should leave the firearms in the hands of those people trained and capable to use a firearm if the need arises. Let's find a different way to manage the problem. Do not arm the teachers.

LARRY DUSH, Cape Girardeau