U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., left, and U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., smile as the Republican members of the House Second Amendment Caucus criticize a series of Democratic measures to curb gun violence in the wake of the recent mass shootings. June 8, 2022. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

I was very interested in the response of U.S. Rep. Andrew S. Clyde, a Georgia Republican, to the devastating testimony of the witnesses to the horrific shooting in Uvalde, Texas (”House approves ‘red flag’ gun bill unlikely to pass Senate,” June 9). Mr. Clyde, a gun store owner, claimed school doors should be locked with only one entrance, and guarded by armed staff and a resource officer. This response is as simplistic as it is useless and ignorant of the actual infrastructure of schools across this country.

Due to budget cuts and overcrowding, thousands of children in hundreds of districts across the country go to classes in portable classrooms, which are basically prefabricated trailers, with walls so thin they could never withstand the armor piercing bullets of an AR-15 rifle. Moreover, these prefabricated classrooms are located on open campuses, away from the main, “locked-down” building, with locked doors and armed guards. A disgruntled domestic terrorist, armed with an AR-15 — purchased legally because he does not exhibit any symptoms of mental illness, and actually may not be considered mentally ill according to medical diagnosis — would be able to murder every child and teacher in those portable prefabricated classrooms before anyone in authority would even know it happened. Even an armed teacher would not be able to respond, let alone a resource or police officer.

Mr. Clyde offers this suggestion not because he believes it will work, as it is clear such suggestions are a futile waste of time, energy, money and precious lives. He offers it because he is more concerned with the profits from his gun store than with the lives of school children. He is just another Republican shill for the gun industry, one of many in the U.S. Congress. Shame on them all.

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