Is arming children next obvious step?

Barnett Sturm, Las Vegas

Saturday, July 28, 2012 | 2:02 a.m.

Like most Americans, I am saddened by the shootings in Aurora, Colo., but hardly shocked. These happen on a regular basis, and we need a real solution to stop them, one our politicians and business community can support.

Since many of the shootings feature semi-automatic weapons, simply arming ourselves and our children with handguns obviously is inadequate. I propose that each student, upon entering kindergarten, be issued a semi-automatic rifle and receive appropriate training.

Given our concern over spending too much on education, I propose that students in the expensive suburban public schools and private schools purchase American weapons since they won’t notice the extra cost.

We can outsource the weapons for low-cost districts such as Clark County by issuing them Kalashnikovs from Bulgaria or China.