The Tragedy in Denver

First, our prayers and sympathy go out to the families who lost loved ones in the Aurora, CO theater rampage. It is a despicable act of evil that has no excuse. 


That being said, the calls for gun control are already circulating from people like New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and others to "prevent" future tragedies. They are misguided, at best. Heroin is illegal and yet people still buy it. It is illegal for minors to have alcohol, yet somehow they manage to obtain it pretty much at will. The same is true of a lot of other "illegal" things. To think that outlawing guns will do anything to stop a serious killer is laughable - it will only prevent law-abiding citizens from shooting back to protect themselves and others. 


In 2002 a disgruntled former student showed up on the campus of Appalachian School of Law and started shooting. Two students went to their cars and retrieved their pistols and confronted him. The shooter dropped his weapon and remained frozen until police arrived.  Three people died but countless others were saved by the timely actions of their armed fellow students. One can only wonder what the result would have been last night if several people at the Colorado theater were lawfully carrying and took action against the shooter. 


We live in a world that increasingly can go suddenly and violently out of control. In many cases like Aurora, CO last night, the police simply cannot get there fast enough to prevent a heavy loss of life. No one else is going to protect you or your loved ones. You had best think now what your responsibility is under such circumstances because the odds are you will not have time to do so if the worst actually happens.