Bulletproof backpacks? Enough is enough

Summer is coming to an end and our kids will be back in school before we know it. My granddaughter asked me to repair her school backpack so she could use it again this year. I was impressed with her desire not to buy a new one so I eagerly agreed to tackle the three inch tear. As I was threading the needle, I heard on the news that, in light of the recent events in Texas and Ohio, bulletproof backpacks were in great demand and selling off the shelves; I wanted to cry.

We need more than bulletproof backpacks or armed guards at our schools to protect our children. We could start by encouraging Sens. Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley to demand that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell reconvene the Senate to vote on the common sense gun legislation passed by the House in January; these are the bills he refuses to bring up for debate.

I remember worrying if my kids had enough pencils in their backpacks. Now parents need to worry if their children will come home. Enough is enough.

Barbara Hartle

Cedar Rapids