I must agree with many letter writers that assault rifles need to be banned. Unless we have a zombie apocalypse, these weapons do not need to be owned by private citizens. They are made for killing people and are not needed for hunting, etc.

However, this will not stop what is happening in our country. The same type of carnage can be accomplished with a semi-automatic handgun (I have many) or even a lighter and a can of gasoline. Do we ban all weapons? I won't give mine up.

We start by making sure each school has a full-time police officer or an armed security officer. I agree with the NRA on this. Metal detectors would not have stopped this latest madness. And we can't put bulletproof glass in every window of every school. If people know our schools are protected, a lot would not attempt a cowardly attack on students.

I agree with both sides on this issue. We need to ban assault rifles and protect our children with armed guards. We can't ban all semi- automatic guns.

We must protect our kids and try to help those who may want to harm them by being vigilant and reporting any suspicious activity.

Michael Ray Dillier

Collinsville