Hey..here's an idea: How about we NOT turn schools into a complete war zone?

Carla Axtman

It's not as if Rep. Dennis Richardson hasn't already done inappropriate, crazy crap before. It's just that this time, he decided to do it on an issue where nerves are already about as raw as it gets.

And you know if it's making Gawker, it's not good:

The email below, which was forwarded to us by a source, was sent on the day of the shooting by Rep. Richardson to several school superintendents in his district. (It did receive some media pickup over the weekend, but it seems egregious enough to publish in full today.) If only State Rep. Dennis Richardson had gone into education. Bolding ours:

From: "Rep Richardson" Subject: RE: Preventable Tragedy in Connecticut Date: December 14, 2012 2:53:06 PM PST To: [redacted]

[redacted]:

The Sandy Hook shootings are another heart breaking failure of school personnel to ensure the protection of innocent children and adults. Sadly, most of the deaths could have been prevented.

If I had been a teacher or the principal at the Sandy Hook Elementary School and if the school district did not preclude me from having access to a firearm, either by concealed carry or locked in my desk, most of the murdered children would still be alive, and the gunman would still be dead, and not by suicide.

When will our school officials open their eyes to the reality that law enforcement officers, in such instances as these, can respond only after the unfettered killings have occurred, and that our children's safety depends on having a number of well-trained school employees on every campus who are prepared to defend our children and save their lives?

Dennis Richardson

This is the very kind of fantasy combat garbage that we DO NOT NEED. As if the victims of the shooting (both those who survived and those who did not) needed MORE bullets whizzing around them. That's some nutty asshattery right there.

The level to which this is unhelpful is enormous. Richardson's defacto blaming of the truly heroic people who protected children and held it together under horrific circumstances is shameful and arrogant.

Over at Daily Kos, author "ultimatically" notes when even trained professionals have had trouble in weapons-related crisis:

The Topeka cops from last night as well the NYC shooting this past summer where police injured 9 bystanders attempting to subdue the target. These are trained professionals dealing with the real brutality of a chaotic situation, and in the case of the NYC cops did harm to citizens despite their best intentions.

With that context, it's difficult to see how Richardson's cowboy vigilantism would do much more than cause more death and injury.

Turn off the Schwarzenegger movies and pipe down, Dennis. That's enough ration of disgraceful from you.

By Carla Axtman Dec. 17, 2012