COMMON SENSE LACKING TODAY.

As I was taking my two kids to school, an incident took place that causes me to wonder what ever happened to common sense.

In front of Monte Vista School, where the kindergarten classes enter, the Sheriff's Department made a traffic stop, later determined to involve a stolen car. It quickly turned into a major incident.

A total of six sheriff's units were sent to handle the situation complete with guns drawn. My wife, being an aide at the school, rushed into the school office, informing the office staff of a possible ``code blue,'' a school lock down.

(Principal Bob) Porter immediately came out to assess the situation and do what he needed to do to make sure the safety of the kids was paramount.

What concerns me is that as the Sheriff's Department, Mr. Porter and the school staff were doing what they needed to do, as my wife began to clear kids off the streets and into the school, redirecting traffic, with the streets blocked by the sheriff's units, even as all of this commotion was going on, parents continued to arrive at school and insist they be allowed to drop their kids off.

One even walked behind an officer's car so her child wouldn't be late. One lady even asked a deputy to close his door so she could get by.

If this incident escalated even more and gunfire erupted and had either these children or parents been hit, would these parents have filed a suit against Mr. Porter, Monte Vista School, the Lancaster School District and the Sheriff's Department because their lives were in jeopardy?

Maybe instead of gun control what we really need is common sense.

Ron Nielsen

Lancaster