It looks like ISIS has again attacked innocent civilians by driving a van into a crowd, this time in London, and then moving on to attack others nearby with knives, too. This has happened previously in France and Germany as well, and experts say it's likely to happen again.
Because of the tight control of firearms in Europe, it's difficult for civilians to legally possess guns. ISIS has for some time now urged their "soldiers" in Europe to get a vehicle and run infidels over. Cars and truck are readily available; guns are not. Terror will happen, using whatever weapons are at hand.
In the incident over the weekend the London police were reportedly on the scene promptly, and had shot and killed all 3 terrorists within 8 minutes. I've heard one bystander tried to defend himself by throwing a table at one of the terrorists as he ran through the crowding stabbing people at random, but most of the victims were simply defenseless for 8...long...minutes.
What if a select number of civilians, after undergoing a serious background check, and after attending both classroom instruction and actual live-fire training, were allowed to be discretely armed? What if one of those select few were on that London bridge, or in that pub? What if they could have defended the helpless until the police arrived? Would that have been a bad thing?
Some say introducing more guns into society won't make us safer. It seems to me guns in the possession of well trained and well intentioned civilians certainty won't make us any less safe. I'm one of those civilians legally licensed to carry a firearm, and I regularly do, even though statistics say the odds of me ever needing to use my gun to thwart an attack is infinitesimal. I also have several fire extinguishers in my home, and the odds are about the same I'll ever use them, either, but in either circumstance I'm prepared.
Do I make society any less safe by being armed? If you were being attacked by someone with a knife, for example, would you tell me to get away from you as my gun was a menace to you and society? Would you decline my offer to defend you?
Guns certainly aren't for everyone. They must be kept out of the hands of criminals. I believe in extremely thorough background checks for anyone willing to carry, and extensive training, too. I don't believe in "open" carry (not concealed), or non-regulation of civilian carry. Some shouldn't be allowed to carry as they haven't demonstrated the necessary level of good judgement, and that needs to be rigidly enforced.
After over two decades of legal carry being allowed in my "Wild West" state of Texas, statistics have shown that legally armed civilians have been a strong net positive for society. Even those in law enforcement who were originally opposed to the idea are now on board.
Just something for you to think about....
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I grew up in Texas, and currently live in New Mexico. Seems like everyone has guns....personal firearms, shotguns, hunting rifles. If I were in a situation like the one in London, I would be so grateful that someone in the crowd had a gun and used it. Having said that, the caveat is making certain that individuals with concealed carry licenses are thoroughly checked, as you stated. Hey, wanna go to the shooting range and practice?
ReplyDeleteSure, I'm always up to some range time. Come on over. :)
DeleteImagine if guns had been as available in the UK as they are here. Imagine those terrorists exiting that van with assault rifles. People are alive today because the UK's gun laws are so strict. I have no problem with people carrying arms they're trained to handle, but how to keep them out of the hands of sick or dangerous people? That's the question.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, have you checked those fire extinguishers recently? A study recently showed that the majority of American fire extinguishers are beyond their expiration date and won't work.
Yes, I agree they are better off without as highly armed a society as we have. We're loaded for bear, we can't change that fact, and that's why I thing responsible legally armed citizens here are a good thing. And I actually did check me fire bottles just a month or so ago. Thanks for reminding me to keep an eye on them.
DeleteNo civilian has ever stopped a terrorist attack with a gun. It's just an NRA fantasy.
ReplyDeleteWhy did the NRA enter this conversation? Forget "terrorist attack"...just think "attack", period. And absolutely YES, attackers HAVE been stopped. Just a few weeks ago in Dallas someone walked into a restaurant and killed the manager (unknown why), but before he could shoot others a concealed carry firearm holder put him down. Fact!
DeleteI think I read that a London policeman was killed trying to stop the attack, I believe many of their police are not armed...probably a bad idea in today's environment.
DeleteThis is from Breitbart, so PT will not accept it but...
http://www.breitbart.com/2nd-amendment/2016/12/29/20-times-bad-guys-guns-stopped-armed-citizens-2016/
Good examples, Joe. I remember when I attended my CHL class the instructors said guns are used 1,000,000 time a year to stop crime. I asked , "Are you saying 1,000,000 bad guys are shot every year?" He said, no, but just producing a gun and showing it to bad guys usually makes them leave pronto. Point being you don't need to actually shoot someone for a gun to deter crime.
DeleteOf course, you would wear a vest that says "good guy" while shooting those terrorists on the bridge in London, so that another good guy with a gun would immediately know not to shoot YOU, right?
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing it wouldn't be hard to identify the bad guys....they would be the ones driving the truck on the sidewalk running over people.
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