
Letters to the Editor
Palm Beach Post
April 13, 2018
Deter cowards with superior firepower
The article “Lake Worth commissioner (Herman Robinson) adamant: No weapons of war for civilians” (Tuesday), where the Lake Worth commissioner categorized the AR-15 as a weapon of war, is incorrect.
The weapons given to our troops are as follows: the M14 (5.56mm) and the M16 (7.62mm NATO). Additionally, the S.A.W., otherwise known as the M249 (5.56mm), is handed out to some U.S. Marine Corps ground troops.
Notice that all of the above weapons have three firing settings. One is automatic, the second is three-round burst and the third is semi-automatic, which can fire only as fast as the trigger can be pulled. The AR-15 is semi-automatic only.
Interestingly, the school shooting recently in a Texas school was thwarted by a man using an AR-15, which is very accurate, far more than a pistol. Protection for all large-traffic federal buildings has armed protection, some of which are fully automatic. I believe that all of our schools deserve the same protection.
Making a weapon illegal will not end school shootings. Additionally, school shooters are cowards. As such, they choose schools as targets, knowing that they will not be confronted with deadly force.
If we were to hire vets as armed school security or arm properly trained educational staff members, the cowardly shooters will refrain from entering buildings in which they may be confronted with deadly force.
ANN MARCEL
GREENACRES