Arming teachers bad idea
Dear Editor
I am a middle school student who is concerned about the recent school shootings and threats that have been happening.
In my opinion arming teachers is a bad solution because in an active school shooting police will not know where teachers located that are armed and a teacher may be wearing normal clothing like the shooter. Also having teachers armed there is no place to “hide” the gun and having a gun visible the police may mistake a teacher for shooter. How many teachers want to have the special training to handle a firearm, and would have the metal make up to shoot a student that they may know? I think that is why arming teachers is a bad idea.
Now I think that the NRA should allow more strict laws on assault rifles like the AR-15 and the bump stock attachment. Nicolas Cruz used the AR-15 during his massacre in Florida. The massacre during the Las Vegas concert was committed with the Bump Stock attachment. Neither the AR-15 nor the bump stock attachment have any reason to be owned by a typical homeowner or citizen. Sports hunting and home/self defense can both be done without an AR-15 or bump stock. I think that having stricter gun laws will help prevent future massacres or school shootings.
I also think that social media web sites should take down posts that have an act of violence within the post. With these threats becoming more popular every day towards schools, social media website workers should be taking down these threats.
Thomas Flickinger
A student at Brandon Middle School

(In response letters by Bonnie Beltramo and Dale Bond, The Citizen, April 14, page 6)
Homemade rockets
Dear Editor,
First to qualify; One goes to the local drug store and buys a can of salt-peter (potassium nitrate) and a small bottle of sulfur. Then you have to find an old bag of not-briquetted, non-easy light charcoal and grind some up real fine. Mix about 7 parts saltpeter, 2 parts ground charcoal and 1 part sulfur. And there you have a fairly good black powder. Not perfect according to the internet, but it was good enough to power our homemade rockets back in the late ‘50s. I suspect if you did that today you might be on someone’s watch list.
Next, I wonder if Mr. Bond’s “13 Ga” is bait, a misprint, or he actually has one.
To The Citizen staff. Keep up the good work!!
Kip Bonds (no relation, I think)
Thank you
Dear Editor,
On behalf of the entire Brandon Transportation Department we would like to thank all of our Brandon parents and community members for showing your support. If you came to a Brandon School Board meeting to speak, wrote to the board members, made a phone call to central office or put a sign in your yard. All of your support has been tremendous and while we still don’t know the fate of the transportation department we appreciate all of you.
Brandon Transportation

(In response to, A wise old geezer, a letter by Dale Bond, The Citizen, April 13, page 6)
Best be silent
Dear Editor,
Apparently Mr. Bond still hasn’t got a clue. He needs to review his statements and he will find that he didn’t pose a simple question. Rather, it was a rhetorical question charged with obvious emotion but very few (if any) facts. I responded twice. The first time I posed both sides of the issue without taking a side one way or the other. When that didn’t please him I gave my opinion in a very direct manner. I have even offered possible solution(s), something he so far has failed to do. I’m not going to get into any mud-slinging with you Mr. Bond (at least not right now) for two reasons. !.) I honor you as a veteran and thank you for your service. 2.) I was taught to respect my elders. That respect however, must eventually be earned.
When you make ridiculous statements such as your road rage stance you only show yourself as, at best, ill-informed. We are talking about road rage involving a firearm (which is rare) not your usual fight over a parking space at the local grocery store. Guns don’t kill people, bullets do. Now you’re resorting to semantics. An idiot pulls the trigger but more idiots make it legal. Do you understand how badly that sounds. It is all emotion and is insulting (to all gun owners) and to suggest that gun owners condone gun violence is completely irresponsible!
I will also state, as a fact, that my firearms training and knowledge far exceeds yours if all you’ve got is the training you received back in 1950 from the Army. I’m not going to go into a lengthy list of my credentials, I’ll just say that if you’ve testified as an expert witness (firearms) at a Circuit Court level as I have numerous times, then you may have room to talk, otherwise retract the statement.
I’l just close by making a parting observation. There is NO SUCH THING as a 13 gauge shotgun Mr. Bond. Never was, and if you want to “mock” Mr. Bills for correcting you than that’s a pretty cheap shot sir. Ms. Beltramo…Your lack of knowledge and ignorance in this subject area is glaring. If you don’t know what you’re talking about it’s better to be silent…..Your New Rule #1… News flash….there is no such thing as a “ratio”of black powder components. You won’t be able to fake your way thru this so don’t even try. Mr. Bond, you describe yourself as a WISE OLD GEEZER. Congratulations! You’ve gone from completely wrong to 2/3’s right. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
Shoot straight,
Paul S. Lucas