Letter: Is cowering in a closet the best we can do?

Mike Crichton, Evanston Resident
Posted 2/18/18

Letter to the editor from Mike Crichton

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Letter: Is cowering in a closet the best we can do?

Posted

Editor:

Another school shooting and another loss of lives cut tragically short. Gun-free signs and rules are deceptive. Criminals are not law abiding.

I work for Uinta County School District No. 1, and I can tell you the district’s protocol for an armed intruder: turn off the lights, lock the door and hide the children in the coat closet. 

The recent Florida shooting revealed that the armed assailant shot through multiple closed doors. Even the teachers feel that their students are theirs to protect. How is hiding in a dark closet and hoping someone already called 911 protection?

By the time someone calls 911, the armed intruder is already onsite. I was trained by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and wore a gun every single day for 30 years and I did not betray the responsibility or trust. I abide by the law and no longer wear a gun daily, but I do not intend to huddle in the dark and pray (wait we can’t do that in schools).

Why are the fears of teachers and parents handicapping my ability to protect your loved ones? Teachers are already held accountable for the health and safety of the children. Why are so many teachers and parents opposed to firearms on campus?

There are already laws, rules and protocols for issuing permits from our government regulatory agencies. Americans have become accustomed to guns and metal detectors in airports, banks, courts, legislative bodies and sporting events. Our president, politicians and the Hollywood elite all have armed protection. 

Why can’t we protect our children from criminals and the insane? Why am I being told that cowering in the dark is the best protection Wyoming and the district can provide our children? 

Mike Crichton

Evanston