Simulated School Shooting Controversial in Southington

Controversy is brewing in Southington, after a pro-gun group carried out a simulated school shooting.

Since the Newtown shooting, many have questioned what can be done to better protect children or prevent another mass shooting.

On Sunday, a group gathered at Kings 33 in Southington, to carry out a simulated school shooting to determine whether arming teachers or security staff at schools is a good idea.

"When you want the police, they're five, ten minutes away. The SWAT team could be 20, 40 minutes away," said James Ward, who participated in the event.

Chris Fields hosted the simulation, and said people should be able to protect themselves when they're in danger.

"We're obviously vulnerable walking around. We should be safe. We should feel safe."

Safety aside, some took issue with the timing of the event, and whether it was held too soon after the shooting at Sandy Hook.

"This is such a tragedy of such magnitude, that it's hard to figure out what's right," said Patty Clavet.

Others were uncomfortable with the idea of guns or other violent weapons at schools.

"I think it's very scary that it's come to that point," said Laura Greene.

Even those like Ward who favor increased security around schools questioned whether the simulation was an accurate representation of what could happen if you're armed during a shooting, because in the simulation, people knew what to expect.

"In real life, you're going to be caught a little bit off by the curveball."

A number of lawmakers in Washington are proposing gun control bills in response to the Newtown shooting. However, many opponents argue that we need to look into the benefits of having armed security around schools.
 

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