SOUTHINGTON, Conn. – In an effort to help prevent another Sandy Hook tragedy, an Internet-based weapons rights group held a simulated school shooting Sunday in a town about 30 miles from Newtown.

But the exercise did not sit well with some local officials.

TheTruthAboutGuns.com organized the simulation and recruited approximately 30 volunteers, who used modified guns loaded with non-lethal paint bullets, according to MyRecordJournal.com. The volunteers who participated represented the teachers, students, security personnel and shooters during the drill.

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The simulation was modeled after the shooting that occurred at Sandy Hook, with the attacker carrying an AR-15 type assault rifle. Volunteers with no previous firearms experience were armed and instructed to defend the school at all costs.

MyRecordJournal.com, reports that the goal of the simulation was to determine whether arming teachers or security staff at a school would be effective in preventing another mass shooting. According to Chris Fields, a former Green Beret and owner of the training facility used for the simulation, the exercise exposed the need for safe gun training.

Fields said the “knee-jerk reaction” to the Sandy Hook shooting has been “people buying guns.” Meanwhile, there are very few who are concerned about training those who are arming themselves.

Is sounds like a thoughtful exercise in the wake of a tragedy that produced some useful ideas. But not everybody agrees with that assessment.

Several local officials considered the exercise insensitive, particularly coming so soon after the Newtown tragedy.

Southington Town Manager Garry Brumback said, “While I recognize the need for people to feel as if they’re helping out, I don’t believe this necessarily does that.”

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Town Council member and DePaolo Middle School Assistant Principal Chris Palmieri said, “It would’ve been better to let the dust settle a little bit before doing this.” He said the simulation seems like “a little overkill to me.”

Really?

Taking a proactive and hands-on approach to preventing a similar tragedy is somehow considered overkill?  The organizers of this simulation are doing their part to protect helpless students as quickly as possible, because we never know when or where another mass shooting will occur.

These concerned citizens know another shooting could take place “before the dust settles,” and they’re trying to help map a proper and sane response.

Erin Benham, president of the Meriden Federation of Teachers, said the simulation is “very inappropriate and way too early.” She added that “It’s an unfair thing to do to the Newtown community.”

Wouldn’t sitting back, rather than acting swiftly to develop a plan to protect our schools, be even more unfair to the Newtown community?

The best way to honor the dead of Newtown is the work quickly and effectively to develop plans to deal with another psychotic killer. This is no time to worry about political correctness or sensitivity. There are still a lot of crazy people out there who like to copy-cat horrific crimes.

If the folks from TheTruthAboutGuns.com can help answer some tricky questions about protecting schools against assault weapons, more power to them. We owe them our gratitude, not our scorn.