Editor,

What are we waiting for? In Toppenish, Wash., a new policy starting this fall enables kindergarten through 12th grade public school administrators to carry concealed firearms on school property to provide protection.

Those who volunteer will be using their own weapons, will receive training from a certified private trainer and receive bullet-resistant vests.

So far, 11 administrators have volunteered, including the district superintendent.

The stated goal of this program is to place at least one armed, trained administrator in each school building.

During the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, it took police only three minutes to respond, yet 20-year-old Adam Lanza fatally shot 20 children and six adult staff members.

The district superintendent in Toppenish has stated, “In a school shooting situation, waiting for the police to come is risky.”

It may be an upsetting reality, but simply having a “gun free” zone policy apparently does nothing to stop people who are intent on reigning violence.

As Wayne LaPierre of the National Rifle Association proffered after Sandy Hook, “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”

So, what are we waiting for?

William Burnett

Oak Harbor