Yes, one crazed killer with one assault pistol overwhelmed four trained and armed peace officers. Hmmm. Doesn’t seem to fit the pro-gunners theory at all. No surprise here, as it’s the height of ignorance and irresponsibility to claim that arming more people will somehow make us all safer. If that were true, the US, with more guns in more hands than any other industrialized country, would be the safest from gun violence among our fellows. Instead, we suffer from the highest gun homicide rate, by far, in the industrialized world. Seems there is a relationship between the presence of guns and the prevalence of gun violence. Imagine that.
No one here, or really anywhere else on the blogosphere would reasonably argue that firearms guarantee that the “good guys” always win. They don’t. They aren’t magic. They are a tool. No amount of training can prepare you for someone shooting at you. It helps to have it, and any person who carries a firearm ought to have it, but it’s not a guarantee of outcome.
It’s also a bit disingenuous to paint our position as one of wanting to arm everyone in order to make them safer. I don’t argue, actually, that arming everyone would make us safer. What I do argue is that the laws Bryan advocates don’t disarm the bad guys. The cretin who murdered his brother, and then killed himself, did it in a jurisdiction where firearms are totally illegal. You won’t stop criminals from getting guns, especially the kind of hard core guys that are going to shoot up police stations. You’ll have about as much luck with that as we do keeping heroin out of the hands of junkies. I don’t argue that arming everyone makes us safer, I argue that disarming good, honest people, which is what Bryan advocates, definitely won’t make society safer, and it will definitely make those of us who choose to do so less safe.
I’ve found that to be a misconception many people have about us “gun nuts.” Many who are either neutral or anti-gun think that we want to arm everyone. (at least this is the case with people I’ve talked to) My response has always been that I want all Americans to have the CHOICE to arm themselves, and to do so how, when, and where they please.
I was unable to log onto Mr. Millers site.Perhaps one of you could ask Mr. Miller exactly what he would have done had he actually been in the situation in Omaha,how would he have protected his family and the lives of innocent people,and what actions he would have taken to stop this individual?How would he have been personally responsible to end this? I would like to hear his plan not for preventing this situation,but ending it once it actually occurs.Maybe Mr. Miller has a novel solution.
Blessings
Elle
Have you noticed that Bryan’s only blog readers and commenters are gun owners. However, to his credit, Bryan really puts the ASS in gun control’s mASS movement.