The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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November 25, 2007

Your View — Schools need armed security in their halls

Tory Strege

MANKATO — Protect our schools now. The latest school shooting in Finland is a last straw for me. Claims of Wild West America certainly do not apply there.

I am sick of do-nothing policies that passively attempt to protect our children. I see security that is simply a joke. Sometimes I see a police presence at school events but they don’t carry guns. What are they going to do against a shooter? Nothing.

What if we have a terrorist attack similar to the one in Russia that killed over 200?

It is time for the anti-gun people to pull their heads out of the sand and be realistic. Dreams of a gun-free society are ridiculous. Disarming the police and citizens will never work even if we all agreed to do it. We need a viable defense of our children and that includes armed security. We have hundreds and thousands of children brought together in publicly-announced, unarmed places we call schools.

We protect fairs, parades and the general public streets with armed officers, why not places where helpless children are gathered?

I want Mankato’s children protected and I will be looking for and supporting a campaign to get it done. I hope we all start thinking and acting before a slaughter happens here.

I want armed security in the halls and at the entrances before someone simply walks in with a gun and starts shooting. Don’t even get started on cost or image arguments. What good is a police force if they can’t even protect our children?

I want my taxes used for this first, then whatever else.

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