5th Graders With Guns: Wyoming School Superintendent Responds to Viral Photo

A few weeks back Thermopolis Middle School in the county of Hot Spring Wyoming proudly posted a photo of students, 5th and 6th grade, in the gym shooting air rifles at targets.

The post stated how the kids had completed their gun safety course and the school was proud of them for it.

Many who commented on the post were also proud of the kids as well. But there were a few who expressed shock and outrage. So the school superintendent took the photos down.

But then there was outrage over the photos being taken down. Some across Wyoming were able to find copies of the original photos and repost them on their own social media.

To offer his explanation the school superintendent was quoted in the local paper. The Thermopolis Independent Record. That article is now making its way around social media.

While on the one hand, we can all understand that the superintendent just wants to run a quiet school and avoid controversy and distractions.

On the other hand, there is a time to just ignore critics and continue on acting normally.

Anyone who spends enough time on social media understands that there are trolls who will attack anyone over anything.

Wyoming is proud of its gun safety courses. We are, after all, a state that has more guns per capita than any other state yet has almost the lowest shooting per capita.

Wyoming is a state of cowboys and hunters. We are proud of it.

The superintendent wants to protect his school and students and keep their education on track. That's good. The best way to do that is to ignore those critics that need to be ignored.

Please Mr. Superintendent. Put those pictures back up with that original post about how proud you are of your students.