My letter to the President , responding to the white house email to me regarding the gun control petition...please sign petitions folks:
Mr. President,
Having devoted many years to training, I wonder why training is often overlooked in many walks of life. With training as a child and youth, I learned proper safe handling/storage/cleaning and accurate usage of firearms. I took driver training as a 17 year-old in the dead of NY winter. Through USAF training, I learned global bombing and navigation by inertial systems, alternate systems and by the stars! I trained for my current job, although it wasn't too tough. I have trained others in all of the above, including developing academic and simulator materials in the B-2 program at whiteman AFB...training many others in that case and as a B52 flight instructor. I intend to train in the School Shield program if they will let me. I LOVE training, because i have seen the results of it, when it is done correctly. Honestly, even poor training usually results in some level of new knowledge that is useful, although attitude is often where poor training falls down and the end results can be disastrous. I am pro School Shield and the quality of training I fully expect to be provided. I hope a 55 year-old vet can be of some use. I see last week as a tragic blip on the statistical radar, similar to shool bus related deaths in its actual scope. Unfortunatley, school busses don't fuel passionate debate the way guns do. Emotion-driven legislation is not appropriate here as it will simply punish the innocent masses for acts of the tiny minority of criminally insane and brutally, criminally sane.
Better enforcement AFTER the crime can be a deterrent. Removal of weapons from the innocent won't be.
Better training can instill the importance of safety and storage, especially for those unfortunate enough to have known, unstable friends and family members. I agree with your statement that there are regional differences and believe gun control belongs at the state level for that reason. I frequently refer to the 10th ammendment as "the right to move" and certainly gun laws have affected the decision to move for many citizens of these great United States of America.
I see and hear heated debate fueled by emotion since last Friday. Unfortunately, no military man like myself sees any merit in emotion driving debate at this level. We are talking about legislation at the Federal level here and my opinion is as stated above, namely let the states decide.
Leave it at the state level. That, I believe was original intent of the framers of the constitution, to make government small, regional and manageable.
I didn't vote for you, Mr. President, but you are my President. Please consider my inputs, submitted out of respect for you and the extremely difficult tasks you face. I pray for you and am sorry you ever have to make public statements for reasons like this. It has to be the worst duty you have.
I picked up a friend's two daughters at two different schools yesterday. We have had a police presence here at school for some time. I saw first hand the interaction of the students and the officers and the teachers. I was approached as an unknown person, professionally, effectively and was corectly screened as a legitimate ride home for the first little girl. The second school saw the first little girl with me and the reaction of my next pickup as confirmation of my legitimacy. My friends little girls are safe at school here. Me picking them up was a result of her concerns for their safety and I saw enough to know the school Shield program WILL work, in spite of the attacks already lveled against it in the media...columbine is not a good example of this program.
Thank you, Mr.President for your time. I sincerely hope and pray this will reach your actual eyes. I value your office, the country and the concepts they represent.
Sincerely,
Ron Arnold
