Just Some Thoughts
Words just simply fail to capture the horror of Friday. I can not grasp what sort of depravity would lead someone to slaughter those children like that (let alone the adults, of course) and I guess that’s a good thing; one would not at all like to be anywhere along that road.
But there is one thing that I do know: you can not expect the police to defend you from such a person. As Insta likes to say: “when seconds count, the police are minutes away.”
It appears that in this case as in many of the others this scumbag specifically went to a “Gun Free Zone” because he knew he’d have no resistance. The lambs were quite literally there in their pens for the slaughter with no earthly shepherd to protect them. Those poor dear teachers and administrators did all they were trained and allowed to do in those long long minutes when they were defenseless and alone, and so many died. As it seems is the MO on these things he shot and shot until he heard the sirens approaching, then he shot himself. Again, the police arrived in great force with nothing to do but clean up.
You can not depend on the police to help you in situations like this. For better or worse there is obviously a period of time required for them to be informed about the incidence and arrive on scene, and they also are creatures of their own training and procedures which more and more stress coordination and scene-assessment before they actually do anything. I’m not questioning their bravery or dedication to the people they serve but I am questioning their priorities. One of the saddest and most infuriating videos I’ve ever seen came out after the murders at Virginia Tech. Assuming the tape and soundtrack are unedited you hear gunshots going off in the classroom as the bastard is murdering people…and the police are crouched down behind their cars outside, talking on their radios. In the horrific Petit home invasion the police wasted more than half an hour while the family was being raped and murdered setting up their vehicle perimeter. You can not count on the police, and the criminals know it.
You can only count on yourself.
If you are armed you need to be physically and mentally prepared to act.
If you are not armed you must accept the following it seems to me: if you actively resist your attacker(s) you might die.
If you do nothing you will die.
Life, Morality | Mr. Bingley | 
December 17, 2012 11:49 am
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I can’t argue with any of this. I don’t know whether I am going to buy a weapon or not, but I am seriously considering it.
“If you are not armed you must accept the following it seems to me: if you actively resist your attacker(s) you might die.
If you do nothing you will die.”
Yep.Not nice, not sweet. Not what either side wants. But…what IS…is.
The key I think Doc is that you have to be mentally prepared to act ahead of time given the situation you find yourself in (which, of course, hopefully you won’t). If someone comes up behind you and sticks a gun in your back, well, there’s not much you can do. On the other hand, if there’s an incident in your building/office/etc then you have options. I hope I will have the courage to take them.
And remember, lots of everyday items will work as weapons: scissors, pens, heavy staplers, the list goes on and on.
Fight back.It works
You always write good stuff,Mr
Bingley.There’s no answer to this problem.Gun control wouldn’t have worked because,his mother would have been allowed to get guns under almost any scenario.
When I went to High School-even though this is different-students could bring guns to school for”Rifle Club”.Target shooting in the basement.
Just think if there were a placard at the entrance of schools, movie theaters etc that read something like “Staff armed and trained to use deadly force”. That would certainly deter a lot. And FYI, the sound of a slide going home on a semi-auto pistol or a round being chambered in a pump shotgun will scare the shit out of 99.9% of bad guys and cause them to flee quickly, very quickly…
My Christmas present to my self will be the CCW permit for my 1911.
Just read where it was 20 minutes after the 911 call that the police arrived. That is unacceptable. Considering this guy was killing people and the fact that once he saw an officer he killed himself I think the policy of waiting till you have the SWAT guys all armed and ready needs to be looked at. I wonder what the shooter would have done if confronted by a male in that school instead of just females. Not saying a male would have been more heroic but I’m guessing this guy picked a school with small children and all females for a reason.
@ major dad – yeah, I think he had a female problem. Just from who he first killed. MIGHT (just MIGHT) have had some respect for a male.
Most especially an armed male. (Not that an armed female wouldn’t have succeeded in stopping him, just that I agree with you, and think a male would have had a lot more aim/shoot time.
And, well, 20 minutes for armed attack – well, yeah, they want it to be over before they arrive. (Oops, pardon me, I believe my cynicism is showing.)