Conspiracy Theory wrote:

And, without fail, there are the 'If only everyone else had a gun' or the 'If I had been there' crowds.

It never fails to amaze me how neatly the problem of someone shooting up a public venue can be solved hours, days, weeks, or months after the fact.

If everyone had been armed they could have just gunned down the shooter.  Which shooter, exactly?  If people other than the shooter are holding guns, how do you decide which one to shoot?  Will the shooter be wearing his 'I'm here to kill everyone' tee-shirt?

If "I" had been there.  You would have what?  Shot the killer and basked in the afterglow of love and praise from the public?  Automatically recognized that barely audible popping noise is actually gunfire, zeroed in on the villain, and saved the day?  Leapt in to action when everyone around you began falling down clutching their bullet wounds and saying something dramatic like 'avenge me'? 

Do people just assume that the reason other people got killed instead of saving the day is because they either didn't have a gun or didn't know what to do if they did?

I agree with you Lager.  Guns are never going to go away.  They are too deeply rooted into our culture and our history. 

That doesn't mean we can treat deadly weapons like they're a cell phone or a set of car keys.
 

Good post.
I too am just waiting for the "if only there were more guns" argument.

That argument rests on the premise that guns are somehow hard to come by in the United States.
In reality, we are the most heavily armed civilian population among the western democracies.
Yet this attack still happened.

As one poster never tires of reminding us, over 100 million guns have been sold in the US since Barack Obama was elected.
Yet this attack still happened.

Florida is one of the most gun friendly states in the union.
Florida is by far the leader in the amount of concealed weapons permits that have been issued. They have more people holding their license than any other state in the nation. Some people are surprised that Florida beats out Texas, but surprisingly enough Texas does not come near the over 900,000 permits that are held in Florida. 
Yet this attack still happened.

Florida has a no choice law. 
It is a law that says that the police are required to issue a permit to any and all qualified applicants. 
Yet this attack still happened.

Not Required to Leave Your Gun at Home
Many people prefer to have their gun somewhat close to them should they need to use it. 2008 saw a Florida law passed that would allow an individual to carry their gun with them to work.
Yet this attack still happened.

Just how many more guns  must we get before we are safe?
Until everyone at a nightclub has an AR-15 slung over their shoulder?
Until Football players wear sidearms while playing?
What a sick society we live in.

Last edited by Goose (6/14/2016 2:49 pm)

And then we have the Senste majority leader Mitch McConnell saying this:

From Reuters:

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday said “nobody wants terrorists to have firearms” and that he was open to suggestions from experts on legislation that could address the problem.

McConnell made his remarks amid blistering attacks by Democrats on the lack of action in Congress on legislation to deny suspects on “watch lists” from purchasing guns or explosives.


Wait a minute. If I'm not mistaken McConnell lead the fight to kill a bill before the senate that would prevent individuals on the no fly list and terrorist watch lists from purchasing guns just last December. He said that was a violation of second amendment rights.

Did he change his mind or just lose it?

Can you say hypocrite?