Bethel: District should pay to upgrade rifle range

Re: “Rules sought after bullet hits school” (TNT, 3-29).

What was the Bethel School District thinking when it decided to build an elementary school in 2009 downrange from a rifle range, which has been in operation since 1948? A logical and equitable solution to mitigate the potential, but deadly, hazard the district has created for our kids is for it to pay for the range upgrades suggested by Superintendent Tom Seigel.

In return, perhaps the district could work out an arrangement whereby the Tacoma Sportsmen’s Club would accommodate school district-sponsored marksmanship/firearm safety programs. This would fit in with the district’s interests in supporting recreational opportunities (the current bond request includes an aquatic center/water park and sports park) in addition to education. The cost would be insignificant, a few thousand dollars, compared to tens of millions for the parks.

Who knows? Perhaps with education, we could re-establish some sense of sanity about guns that we have allowed violent movies, video games, the popular media and firearm phobics to so badly skewed with fear and warped delight.

This story was originally published March 30, 2016 at 11:59 AM with the headline "Bethel: District should pay to upgrade rifle range."