In 2009, six members of ACT for America met with Gov. John Baldacci’s Deputy Chief of Staff David Farmer. We discussed the potential for a school massacre. While ACT concentrates on Islamic terrorism, and we centered our concerns on the 2004 tragedy in Beslan, Russia (death toll, 344), the events on Dec. 14 in Newtown, Conn., bring back the issue in clear horror.

Farmer and other state officials did effectively nothing. We never heard back. We have policies and procedures. We have buzzers and lockdowns. We do not have the one thing that will stop a gun — guns.

The nation is predictably screaming for gun control, but violent crime is highest where strict gun control has been instituted, as in Chicago and Washington, D.C.

The 2nd Amendment is there for a reason. To paraphrase Thomas Jefferson — a populace with guns are citizens; a populace disarmed are slaves. Just research Hitler’s Germany, Stalin’s Russia, or Mao’s regime in China, where millions were executed after guns were confiscated.

We need armed guards and, as a former teacher myself, the teachers should be trained and armed.

Adam Lanza shot his way into a locked school and killed the children and teachers within 10 minutes. No swat team, no secretary pushing a buzzer, no locks or brave janitors could have stopped that. But where will the money come from?

Taking just a portion of the salaries being paid for useless “educational gurus” at the highest levels would save precious lives.

Jared Bristol, Hebron