If we arm teachers, where will they keep their weapons? – The Virginian-Pilot

Re “‘A Wretched Evil That Destroys’: Texas Elementary School Horror Resonates in Virginia and Beyond” (May 24): Another harrowing mass shooting by a young man with an AR-style rifle 15. Can’t we do anything to lessen this threat to our American citizens and our children?

After the Uvalde massacre, Republican officials repeated one of their favorite solutions for stopping would-be shooters: arming teachers and school administrators. If they don’t support any type of restriction on gun ownership, then they should explain in more detail how they would implement their solution.

• What kind of weapon should be given to teachers? A 9mm semi-automatic pistol? A shotgun? An AR-15 semi-automatic rifle? Or maybe just a classic .45 caliber Colt revolver?
• Where would teachers keep their weapons in the classroom? In a locked safe or cabinet? In a desk drawer? In a case or just strapped to your back?
• How can parents be sure teachers can use their guns effectively when we don’t require training and licensing for gun owners?
• How do you select and hire teachers who wouldn’t panic in the face of an armed intruder? Where will we find teachers who could calmly and deliberately shoot another human being?
• How do we need to change our teacher education programs to ensure effective classroom teaching and advocacy?

Some politicians will not support any gun control measures, not even the red flag laws and universal background checks supported by a large majority of Americans. These same politicians want to escalate teachers’ responsibilities in the classroom to prevent future mass shootings.

We must protect parents from such divisive thinking.

GM Lower, Williamsburg

Re “Portsmouth City Council abruptly fires City Manager in heated meeting” (May 24): The road to better city administration is high and straight, characterized by professionalism, respect for staff and residents, and conducted with maximum transparency.

Once again Portsmouth City Council has failed itself and its residents in all these standards. Instead, our council strays from the straight and narrow like the drunken sailors of the past, betraying their oaths of office and embarrassing us all. They send a clear message to potential investors, whether homebuyers or business buyers: stay safe, bad investment. Portsmouth’s logo reflects its maritime heritage, suggesting a sailing ship successfully navigating headwinds and cresting waves. The current council seems determined to sink our ship of state, and with it, the city’s hopes for a better future. That’s a shame.

Katherine Davis Moore, Portsmouth

Here are some statements we will hear: “you shall not kill”, “guns don’t kill people, people kill people”, “when guns are banned, only outlaws will have guns”, ” God created men equal. Colonel Colt made them equal. and the “only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun”. The Sixth Commandment and these quotes often appear in the media whenever we have a mass shooting. However, schools, office buildings, and other gun-free areas have no protection against a suicidal bad guy with a gun. Lawmakers continually pass welfare laws restricting good guys with guns, which bad guys ignore. People in unarmed areas should protect themselves with non-lethal force such as pepper spray.

Lawmakers should pass Good Samaritan laws that provide legal protection for office workers, teachers and others who use non-lethal force to defend themselves against a suicidal villain. This law will protect nice people from legal action if they accidentally spray pepper spray on a passerby. A police force pepper spray with a 25 foot range can be purchased on eBay, Amazon or Walmart for around $50.

Roger D. Howell, Yorktown

Here are some observations from my trip to Florida on Interstate 95. People complain about gas prices, but they don’t really care about gas mileage.

The McNally Institute reports that according to the Energy Saving Trust, the best fuel economy is driving at 55-65 mph, and 85 mph uses 40% more gas than 65 mph. Most cars on I-95 go over 80 mph. Road rage is a major problem. Sometimes this is caused by people overtaking a car and immediately cutting in front of that car. The passenger side mirror should never be used to determine distance. Use your rear view mirror and don’t change lanes until you see the overtaken car in that rear view mirror.

Why we can put a man on the moon but can’t design a passenger side mirror with proper perspective is beyond me. When signs say “lane closed ahead, move left/right”, don’t. Slow down, stay in your lane until the very end, then alternate all other cars to merge. No one is cut; this is called “zipper fusion”.

Some of these signs are a mile away from getting to the actual melting point, causing many upset people trying to recover. Remember that the fast lane will soon be the slow lane when everyone moves on. Talk about wasting gas. Each time you turn your steering wheel to change lanes, you are driving away from your destination. You’ll drive an extra 50 miles towards Florida if you zigzag. Truckers used to be travellers’ best friends, now they seem to be the enemy.

John J. Martin, Norfolk