This lady did what any person would do to protect herself against a a threat of violence.
Isn't it about time we realised that the perpetrators of this kind of intimidatory behaviour use the existing legislation to their own advantage?
The decison made to sack her is what we have come to expect from organisations that place "political correctness" above a frightened woman's right to attempt to defend herself.
It's about time the lawmakers in the UK got to grips with the fact that the "yobs" are street-wise and not at all afraid of being caught by the police, simply because the penalties incurred for this sort of crime are not any sort of deterrent.
and, of course, the vast majority of these crimes go undetected simply as a result of the lack of sufficient Police Officers on the streets; yet another reason that points to victory for the "yob culture".
Recently, there have been a number of assaults on women, some of which have proved to be fatal. I would suggest that if the U.K. had a meaningful set of punishments that fit the crime then these assaults would have probably not taken place. The birch is probably a good place to start....

Beware: these young people are ready to swear, bite, scratch, knife, or react or do anything harmful to someone just because they act unconsciously without reason, like a beast with a "skin" instead of a man(boy)/woman(girl) with "piele". They look so lovely, young and beautiful because they live in U.K. a wealthy prosperous country which gave them no limits on freedom, thinking, emotions, sex, politics, education, etc. The judicial system of U.K. is wrong and has became rotted down because the so-called lawyers have lost their head and reason behind a veil of troubled monarchy, wealthiness, abundance, greediness, happiness, high-lifed, high-cultured, high-civilised Britain. You dont have to look further to judge: Look up at Harry (Prince Charles's youngest son, heir of the throne) how lovely, fresh, healthy and beautiful he is when he behaves - sometimes - in an erratic foolishly manner! He's a champion at that! First class!

So Mrs Linda should get her job back immediately but not without a price. She should get a thousand apologies (submitted to her in a letter - handwritten not typed on computer) plus a small compensation from: The Queen (grandmother of Harry), Harry, The PM (Mr Tony Blair with his failed "education, education, education" lol), The Education Secretary, and The Home Office or whoever is responsible for Mrs Linda's ordeal!

Then the case could be closed down. And a lesson should be learned from that and introduced in next year's curriculum, as well as in Queen's speech before the Parliament, and Question Time of Mr Tony Blair.

Fight on Linda. You didn't bring your school into disrepute - no-one knew where you were working until they brought proceedings to try to sack you. You were a woman driven to the edge by constant harassment in your own home; not on school property and not during school hours. I'm glad your union is backing you - those who voted to sack you ought to have the type of harassment you did for as long as you did before they sit in judgement.

Welcome to the real world Mrs Walker. The yobs getaway with it, the policitians getaway with it but you are made to suffer.
Its a mad mad P.C. world we now live in.
Good luck and keep fighting.

What is the world coming to when you cannot defend your own property.How can Mrs Walker be accused of firearms offences when an air pistol is not a firearm? Salford Education Authority should be ashamed of themselves by giving her the sack. You need teachers like her who would defend her pupils if necessary against yobs .

Let's all go out and get guns to shoot people when we feel intimidated or threatened then, shall we? Where is the evidence to show that she was being attacked by so called yobs?

Should we send this message out to school children and other people, to make sure you protect yourself with a gun or a knife? Come on!

She knew what she was doing because she told the police she was going to do it. A couple of years ago Ashley Walters from the rap group So Solid crew was caught by the police with a gun. He didn't fire it at anyone but said he had it for PROTECTION. What did he receive? Praises from the public? No, just outright condemnation and an eighteen month jail sentence, rightly so.

So why is Mrs Walker so special? As a teacher she should know better and if she can lose it on the street she can lose it in the classroom too. Having witnessed almost twenty-five years of seeing people I know shot dead and then my friends' sons shot dead, in and around Central Manchester. I don't think anyone should be commended for protecting themselves, harrassment or not.

People need to remember that at the end of the day Linda Walker still has a criminal record, and what sort of message would this send out to the pupils of the school. It OK it do what she did and get away with it? I don't think so. At last City of Salford have done something right.

My sympathies Mrs Walker. You deserved better. But if that's the way your employers treat you, then you're better off not working for them. If anyone has brought their school into disrepute, it's themselves through this grossly unjust action. It would have been far better for them in terms of PR to have stood by you and declared that you had received more than enough punishment already for your 'crime.' Shame on them. I hope that someone with more backbone and moral fibre reads your story and offers you a vastly superior job with the support you need and deserve. Good luck to you.

The sacking of Linda Walker is the final insult to this brave and may i add family orientated lady. Common sense has not prevailed yet again.
I doff my cap to this fine lady and wish her all the best in her pursuit of justice, but i feel she has a long and distressing time ahead. Meanwhile the urban terrorists that drove her to this drastic action are free to perpertrate their cowardly acts upon innocent members of the public, without fear of being reprimanded.

Its a disgrace that Mrs Walker has been treated like this. The poor women had to indure prison because of so stupid yobs who made her life hell.This women does not deserve to loose her job and am disgusted with local education people.Give her job back she is suffering enough thanks to the law being a total ass............

All adults over the age of 40 should be issued with a gun so they can legally shoot dead these 'Hoodys' if neccesary.
The police are useless and the govenment is a joke.

No, she should not!! Youths today are generally very aggressive. We live in a thug society. These "thugs" are considered children, and clearly they are not.

Tell Mrs. Walker to come to Utah. She not only would not be arrested, she might get a medal.

Absolutely disgusting that this decent honest person should be sacked let alone go to prison for something that this 'Government' has created ie a yob culture of idiots. All decent right minded people should support her in her fight with Authorities who only give these idiots more credence.

Hope you get your job back love, you aren't wrong it's the law of the land and the kids.

So Linda Walker loses her job for waving a pellet gun at people she assumed had been, or might, attack her.
But Tony Blair keeps his job for ordering the bombing of thousands of men, women and children because their leader might have a weapon that he might use one day.

Dave Young, your comments aren't ONLY biased but completely ignorent - get real, idiot!!