Comment on National standards are needed for security guards

When we think of the phrase "hired gun," the old West, where most anyone could pin on a badge and maintain the peace, comes to mind. But hired guns are still with us, and because of poor oversight and a lack of national standards and training, there are violent consequences.Armed security guards are everywhere it seems, but a report from CNN and the Center for Investigative Reporting found that 15 states require no firearms training for them; 46 states ignore mental health status; nine do not check the FBI's criminal background database; and 27 states fail to ascertain whether an applicant is banned by federal law from even carrying a gun."Across the U.S., a haphazard system of lax laws, minimal oversight and almost no accountability puts guns in the hands of guards who endanger public safety," the yearlong study found.