There has been a long debate on the benefits or dangers of having guns in public places. The idea of self-defense in populated areas is questioned by many because of the risk of hitting an unintended target. In other words, they see you as a danger and not an asset because of injuries you could inflict on the innocent by trying to help. But what is the alternative? Hunker down and hope the mad gunman doesn’t shoot you before the police can arrive?
For this discussion, I’m not going to look at laws meant to prohibit criminals from carrying weapons in public, or weapons that are carried in the open. Instead, I will focus on law-abiding citizens who choose to carry a concealed gun in a populated place. Each argument should be given careful consideration. But in the end, everyone has to make a decision on where to carry a firearm. What will yours be?
What makes people want to carry in public?
With the long history of mass shootings, tensions rise when the topic of guns in public comes up. The fear of a crazed madman with a gun is one reason people choose to carry a gun for self-defense in the first place.
On October 16, 1991, George Hennard drove his truck through the front doors of Luby’s Café in Killeen, Texas. He got out of his truck with two handguns and started shooting anyone he could see. Suzanna Gratia Hupp was one of the people in the restaurant that day. She had her concealed carry permit and carried a weapon anywhere the law allowed. But Texas didn’t allow people to carry a gun in a restaurant, so she had left her gun in the car. She watched Hennard as he walked through the building shooting one person after another. Suzanna’s parents were with her that day and both were shot and killed. Law enforcement arrived quickly and exchanged shots with Hennard before he killed himself.
For this horrific event, what else could have been done? The police were called. They arrived and confronted the shooter. But in the short time before police could arrive, Hennard murdered 23 people and injured another 27. This shooting would remain the deadliest shooting in US history for 16 years until the Virginia Tech shooting took place.
Incidents like this bring the subject of guns under a microscope. But criminals having guns and law-abiding citizens having guns are two different things.
Do laws protect us from public shootings?
We have laws that prohibit criminals from carrying weapons. We also have laws that make it illegal to shoot people. But if a person has decided they don’t care about the consequences of laws or even if they live, how can they be stopped? Making more laws and restrictions is not the answer. Being able to stop the shooter as quickly as possible yields the best results. Waiting for the police is not always the quickest way to stop a shooter. Police respond as fast as possible when they get the call, but they don’t know what they don’t know. When a shooting takes place, they can’t respond until it’s already happening and someone has called them.
When teaching CCW classes I remind the students that we (law enforcement) do not have a crystal ball that tells us where to be and when. Like it or not, the police are mostly a reactive agency. Something happens and we respond. But a lot can happen in a short period of time, and by then it could be too late. The “no guns allowed” sign and all the laws in the world cannot stop someone from physically carrying out a violent act if they no longer care about laws and consequences. Laws have the most effect when the consequences of breaking those laws are carried out. Our society has failed miserably at that, and criminals are constantly being released from prisons and jails only to commit more crimes. But that discussion is for another day.
Guns in Public Places — Good or Bad?
The most obvious and most argued reason why guns are dangerous in public places is that if an armed citizen is trying to help and starts shooting toward the bad guy, they could hit someone else in the process. Another argument is that police will have a harder time stopping the shooter if there are multiple people shooting guns when the police arrive. Could any of these things happen? The answer is yes, but is this a common issue every time there is a mass shooting? That answer, my friend, is no.
On July 17, 2022, Elisjsha Dicken shot and killed a person who opened fire in the food court of an Indiana mall. Three people were killed before Dicken fired 10 rounds, stopping the shooter without injuring anyone else. If he had not acted, this would have no doubt been another large-scale mass shooting in the history books. There were no armed citizens at Luby’s Café, and 23 people died. The Virginia Tech shooting ended with 33 people murdered. That list could go on and on.
While the arguments against guns in public places should be taken into consideration when training, it doesn’t address the problem. It only addresses a ‘what if’ scenario and not the real issue. Arguments against guns in public places also open the door for gun restrictions and therefore restrict the rights of the American people. This goes much deeper than just the argument about carrying a weapon in public. It gives more control and power to the government, and they are not supposed to have all the power. The people are.
Every law-abiding citizen should have the right to carry a weapon for self-defense. The most populated areas are the most vulnerable places to be. If someone starts shooting, someone with a gun needs to stop them. This could be the police or a law-abiding citizen who decides to act because the police are not there yet. For those who choose to carry in public areas, train with your weapon and be familiar with the holster and weapon you have chosen to carry.
Read the original article in its entirety at gunmagwarehouse.com.
Asset if shooter Trained
Asset if shooter trained
The worst problem we face is democrats, uneducated don’t comprehend the difference between law abiding citizens carrying and criminals.
True…they’re using the criminal element to push their disarmament agenda ONLY so they might get the complete communist control they’re seeking. It’s only their trashy, criminal garbage doing the shootings. They and their criminal supporters are the ones who need dealt with…..harshly.
Laws preventing law abiding citizens from CCW do nothing but enable the predators. This is common sense which close to half of our voters do not have.
One of the very first goals of communists is to disarm the general population of a country. This allows a much easier takeover of that country. The USA has been infiltrated by communists over the past 8 decades and they have gained positions of control in all sectors of society especially the government, media, and education. We are now seeing the fruits of their progressive infiltration and radical policies.
A very insightful read is the book “The Naked Communist”.
If people had the basic good sense to leave others alone, there would be no problem. As it is, some people lack the above mentioned good sense, sad to note. Disarming those who go about their own affairs without bothering others will not fix the problem. The time for our law makers to recognize the obvious is long past. Those who are unable or unwilling to recognize the obvious do not deserve public office, nor the trust that goes with it.
The Democrats Safety Zones are like Rod Serlings Twilight Zone. Episode= To Serve Man. Mizzer Boe Jiden
Going into a place where firearms are not allowed to be legally carried is like being put into a boxing ring with Mike Tyson — with your arms tied behind your back. While it’s possible that you may get out alive, you’re definitely going to get hurt. I won’t place myself or my family in that type of situation.
Pelosi is now trying (again) to ban “assault weapons”. Doesn’t that dingbat realize that “assault weapon” covers more than just guns? Anything can be used as an assault weapon. A Louisville Slugger, a screwdriver, a steak knife orm even a hammer!
There are only two groups that fear responsible armed Citizens: 1) criminals, 2) politicians (all too often the same as group 1). No one else has that fear. Prove me wrong.
Guns in public is a great thing if the person has been trained in gun safety starting at age 6 and continuing through life gun ownership for Hunting and Sport shooting were talking ownership should not be until 18 if their old enough for military service their old enough for gun ownership right to carry testing should be monthly guns are only as safe as. The person pulling the trigger gun safety should be taught in school starting at age 6 or 8 to eliminate shooting accidents