Letter to Editor: Reader offers thoughts on school safety march. 

Letter to Editor: Reader offers thoughts on school safety march. 

The following is a letter to the editor from Aldon Maleckas. The views of the writer are his opinion:

Dear Editor:

I have noticed the response to the Parkland shooting and have read David Petersen’s letter to the editor.  Students are having a march for school safety and some are leaving class to demonstrate. I would ask these students to consider:

1. Opioids kill an estimated 42,000 people a year.  How many of their student friends are using or have been killed by opioids?  I do not see students demonstrating for tougher regulations on opioids.
2. Car accidents kill 40,000 people a year.  Most of those deaths are caused by young drivers.  Maybe we should raise the driving age to 21 and see how school students appreciate it.  I do not see any student marches to increase the driving age or for stricter regulations.
3. Bombs have killed many people.  I have not seen any student demonstration for tougher regulation on bombs.
4. Bridges have collapsed and killed people.  I have not seen any student demonstrations for tougher regulations on bridges.
5. Fires kill students and other people.  I have not seen any student demonstrations for tougher regulations on fires.
6. Trucks kill people by driving into crowds.  I have not seen any student demonstrations for tougher regulation on trucks.

The list goes on and on.  We should do a data search and determine how many shootings have been in gun free zones as opposed to areas where guns are allowed; such as, compare the shootings in schools versus shootings in police stations.  You will find that gun free zones are an invitation to disaster. We need to have proper priorities. Our United States’ constitution provides that we can keep and bear arms; we do this to protect against an oppressive government and for our own personal protection.  So why all these demonstrations for tougher gun laws and more restrictions. Students need to realize that our nation has allowed conditions that make people do bizarre things now and will make them do the same in the future. Our initial actions have been to barricade classrooms, to hide, and/or to flee the area.  All this is known to the attacker. You need to acquire the knowledge to assess a threat and take action to neutralize that threat (shooter or whatever). Learn how not to be a victim.

Aldon Maleckas, Custer