Re “More than bandages needed to stop the bleeding in schools” by Nestor Ramos (Page A1, Jan. 2): For years, schools have taught first aid and CPR as a practical part of high school health class, but the old context of this training has shifted. These skills are no longer being taught to students in case someone in their family chokes, but rather so that they will know how to prevent friends from bleeding out in a classroom.

Guns are both the cause and a frequently proposed solution to our fear of school shootings. Our increased reliance on guns is not a sign of resistance to violence, but resignation to it. Likewise, as Ramos indicates in his commentary, in lieu of practical gun control legislation, junior EMT training for high schoolers is equally a form of resignation. Armed teachers and a medically trained student body may reduce deaths, but they will not prevent future shootings.