Jody Langford’s Feb. 28 letter stating that the NRA was right and that people such as “schools superintendent Julian Crocker are intellectually challenged and ignorant” crosses the line of civility.

I won’t try to defend Julian Crocker (he can do a much better job of that than I can), but I will say I think we need to be more civil when discussing matters over which we differ in opinions. Name calling has never moved the discussion forward.

Langford apparently supports the NRA’s position that we, as a society, need to consider using armed guards at our schools to protect our children. He is entitled to his opinion. After all, this is the “Opinion Page” of our local newspaper. However, to call someone “intellectually challenged” just because that person disagrees with you goes well beyond the expression of an opinion. It reduces the discussion to a level unbefitting these pages and diminishes the writer’s credibility.

The shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School is far too serious an issue to belittle by using the type of language Langford chose. If we want to protect our children and solve other serious problems, I believe the first step we need to take is to begin acting and discussing issues like adults.