This is in response to the Associated Press story “Report: Armed adults caused school mishaps” (May 6, The Columbian). The article quotes Lois Berlin, interim superintendent of the Alexandria, Va., school system, wondering how highly trained police officers can have negligent discharges or leave their firearms unattended. The first and most obvious answer is they are not highly trained. For all we know, they do not perform any activities beyond their required annual qualification. It would be interesting to know how many of the 30 mishaps referenced were caused by National Rifle Association-certified safety instructors. My bet would be zero. But I have no more data than Berlin, who is also assuming.
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