Yesterday in Connecticut, an individual killed his mother at her home, took her car to the school where she may have worked, and killed 6 adults and 20 children, and then killed himself.
According to reports, the firearms he used were owned and registered to his mother. He used two handguns in the attack (a Glock and a Sig, both reported to be 9mm but unconfirmed at this time) and a .223 rifle was left in the trunk of the car and not used in the attack.
Within minutes there were calls to ban guns, ban magazines, ban ammunition – many of them invoking the familiar “do it for the children”. Even Barak Obama said that we have to do something.
In the opinion sections of newspapers across the country, there were calls for everything from the immediate disarmament of all Americans to the taxation of ammunition at extraordinary rates, to doing nothing at all.
However, you know that politicians won’t let a good crisis go to waste. They WILL want to do something. As they do with other issues, they will conveniently ignore the Constitution and the Bill of Rights (and the historical commentaries about them in the Federalist Papers and the Anti-Federalist papers, and the common-sense reading of them), and they will call for what they define as “common-sense gun laws” “for the children”.
Sadly, if you look at what happened, the individual involved was in violation of so many existing gun-related and other laws, that piling on more would clearly not have helped.
If you look at how the people inside the school reacted, there are stories of locking kids in closets, huddling fearfully in corners, and basically “locking the door and hoping they don’t have blasters”. Why is it that these were the best responses that they could manage there?
Because the adults in that school – as in so many others around the country – are prohibited from having firearms to defend themselves and the students.
You see, the “other side” feels that eliminating guns will solve the problem. They don’t look at the alternative – allowing people EVERYWHERE the opportunity to DEFEND THEMSELVES. That’s simply unthinkable, inconceivable to them.
In Israel, schools sometimes have a retired soldier working as a security officer. But in addition to that, some of the school administrators are armed. They accept that they may have to defend themselves, and they are prepared and willing to do so. Why can’t people here also accept that?
Some of them feel that we are “too civilized” for this, that the “old west” is gone. If you take off your rose-colored binders, you will see that we are not too civilized for that, and that there is still a need – and always will be a need – for people to be willing to accept the PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY for their safety, and be willing, trained, and prepared to defend themselves.
You will never get rid of firearms in our society. To try to do so is in direct violation of the Constitution, and also ignores the reality that criminals will also have some form of arms. Let’s imagine for a moment that you could. Once you “eliminate” guns, you will then soon be forced to confront the reality of the dangers of swords and knives (which both Australia and England are facing now) and even rocks. There will still be violence, and those willing to employ aggression in their efforts.
The other side of the equation is where the equalizer is – allow ALL the ability to defend themselves. In Utah, teachers can (and many do) carry concealed firearms. School administrators can carry concealed firearms. Any adult that is not legally prohibited from owning a firearm can get a permit to do so. That permit requires training, and even that basic training along with the presence of a firearm for defense can save lives.
In Connecticut they are apparently prohibited from doing so in schools. Their hands are tied, and they are forced to cower in closets and corners rather than being able to defend themsevles.
Is concealed carry an absolute guarantee of safety? Of course not, but it does provide a chance that you don’t have without a firearm to defend yourself.
In the coming days we will hear yet more calls for all manner of “common-sense” gun control laws “for the children”. Sadly, none of these will do anything except disarm or limit law-abiding Americans, and will still allow criminals the opportunities and abilities they have now.
Let’s do what we can to promote the real equalizer – unrestricted concealed carry everywhere. At least then, if trouble does come looking for you and you can’t avoid it, you have the ability to stand and defend yourself.
James Bell Jr. – iCarryUtah.com