Who are the real cowards? 

Most of us respect heroic Americans like Sens. John McCain and John Kerry, recipients of Silver and Bronze Stars and Purple Heart medals, and Jack Jacobs, awarded the Medal of Honor. Also the brave staff at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

But not all good people are heroes. It takes a hero to face a weapon of war in defense of others without a similar weapon. The AR-15 is a weapon of war with a single hit more likely to be deadly. At age 18 a teenager in Florida (and many other states) can buy this gun before he/she can legally buy a beer.

Now, some people, namely politicians and media types, are calling this high school security guard in Parkland, Fla., a coward because he did not engage the shooter alone with only a hand gun. He apparently waited outside for reinforcements (which used to be the standard protocol for active shooter situations until recently). The security guard was not a hero, to be sure, but I don’t think he’s the coward in this tragedy. The real cowards are the politicians who are afraid of the NRA and have allowed these weapons of war to be re-introduced into our society after having been previously banned.

Let’s call out the real cowards and not some poor school guard.

Ronald Cummings

Madison