Ms. Mack:

I read with interest your October 5 report of the incident at Maine Central Institute involving  a young man carrying a shotgun.  I was especially interested to read that "Many students were terrified and began crying" when they saw a man with a gun.  Well, after decades of media demonization of firearms and firearms owners I have to say I'm not particularly surprised.

Now it's not only politically incorrect to hunt, it's apparently assault on the delicate sensibilities of the average college student.

These are the descendents of the generation that fought and won W.W.II?

What happened to us?  Where did our spines go?  I know not all of us have wimped out, Flight 94 proved that, but if the next generation coming up cannot handle the sight of an armed man then our opponents have already won the war.

I know that you just wrote the story, you aren't responsible for its subject, but I felt the need to vent and your address was listed for response.  Thank you for your attention.

Dear Mr. Baker,
Thank you for your interest. A few clarifications: MCI is a high school, not
a college. The students involved - some as young as 14 - had been quietly
working at thier desks when the teacher began shouting directions to "Get on
the floor! Get on the floor!'' The person that was spotted outside the
window was NOT a hunter - he was dressed in camie clothes with a flak jacket
and a handgun. Believe me, the kids in central Maine are extremely familiar
with hunters and hunting. In Maine it is the law for hunters to wear two
articles of orange clothing, including a cap. It was clear to the students
that the intruder on their campus was NOT a hunter. Most families in central
Maine and many of the students who were frightened by this incident still
enjoying hunting in all seasons - bird, deer and moose. As a parent of
several teens, I think their reaction was both appropriate and expected. I
might have reacted the same had I seen such a gunman outside my office.....
Thanks,
Sharon K. Mack

Ms. Mack:

Thank you for taking the time to reply.  I do appreciate it.  However, I have a question that your reply has prompted.  I apologize for not knowing that MCI was a high school.  It was not explained in the report, and not being a resident I suppose I could be forgiven for making the assumption that "Maine Central Institute" was an institution of higher learning.

According to the article the school was notified "that a young man was headed in their direction up South Main Street with a shotgun".  The title of the article was "Gun-toting hunter..."  From this I had to assume that the young man WAS a hunter.  No mention of  blaze-orange clothing - or any requirement of it - was made in the article.  What was it about this young man that prompted the Pittsfield police department to contact the school?  That, to me, seems to be the real story.  Otherwise it appears that hysteria over a "man with a gun" was what you were writing about - and that was what I reacted to.

Finally, if you think the appropriate reaction to seeing an armed man is crying in terror, then you've made my point.  

Again, thank you for your attention.