Because I am both teacher and mother to a toddler, I have joined the Washington state chapter of Moms Demand Gun Sense.

I am passionate in the fight for common sense gun laws but I probably would have never written this letter if I had not been sitting in the gym at Twin Falls Middle School in an auditorium full of young people, listening to a guy from the SWAT team talk about what to do in the face of a school mass shooter.

I watched this man, a steely professional, tell children that the best defense is a good offense, that they should run like hell in a zig-zag pattern or rush the shooter.

I have no compunctions about the advice, seems sound enough in a country willing to sacrifice school children for the right to bear arms. I just wish this was a country dedicated to the safety of police officers (who would be less likely to come home in a bag if there were stricter laws), and dedicated to the safety of young people. I wish I didn’t have to worry about my 3-year-old visiting a friend’s house and finding an unsecured firearm. I wish for a 28th amendment (the right not to get shot) to balance out the second amendment.

I can cite statistics about the sobering realities of guns, but changing minds at this point seems like a long shot. I want to honor the commitment I made to enacting sane gun laws and make my presence known so that others who feel as I do will be more inclined to speak out.

Constance Logan

North Bend