Some people understand only horrific images and are blind to the subtle, far more significant side of gun ownership — the unspectacular, daily prevention of crime that takes place because law-abiding citizens are allowed not only to own but to carry handguns for self-defense.
Thousands of stories depicting thwarted crimes go unreported, or do not warrant the wall-to-wall coverage that the shooting in Newtown, Conn., did. And how do we measure the deterrence that effective self-defense creates in the minds of would-be assailants who do not act because they fear their potential victim may be armed or because they’ve learned of an attacker being shot?
Comments
You are spot on. But the anti gun nuts would prefer you risk your life while they dabble in failed social experiments.
So let me get this straight- you are proposing to put armed undercover guards in our schools? How are they to be armed? I guess it would have to be with assault rifles with large clips because a handgun is no match for the assault large clip weapon. Okay now picture five year olds in school everyday receiving the message that school and society are so dangerous we need assult weapons to protect our kids, everywhere all the time. Wow, that is sick. In your senario we will need to recruit guards to cover all our schools and the best way to do that is to require 2 years military service of all residents . Okay, let's reinstate the universal draft. Everybody, everywhere from age 18-20 must serve to protect our schools, grocery stores and malls. Just so you can have your precious handgun and nut cases can buy assault weapons at gun shows. Really?
Swed, obviously you did not get it straight. The OP did not propose to put armed undercover guards in schools.
But you did a great job jumping from your wrong conclusion to requiring two years military service, the universal draft.
The OP was saying that a person (like a teacher, janitor, administrator) who is licensed to carry a handgun should be allowed to do so. This is actually the case in a few states.
As for your statement that a handgun is no match for an assault rifle? Inaccurate. Inside buillding is close quarters combat, if the handgun person has cover, or the element of surpise the shooter can be taken out. Certainly having a gun is better than hiding under a desk hoping that the shooter goes and kills someone else.
I suggest you try reading more carefully what someone posts, rather than being so intent on going into an anti gun rant.
While an armed guard in a bank, for example, would definitely be a deterring factor to potential robbers, it is a stretch to say teachers/janitors that may (or may not) carry guns would be an effective deterrent in massacres like Sandy Hook. Most attackers in such massacres are nuts, not calculating criminals. They either know they are very likely going to die anyway or they are too confused to rationally consider the consequences or any deterrents that are not even obvious to them.
For the states that allow school employees to carry guns, I wonder if they allow bank tellers to be armed too? If so, any credible statistics suggesting fewer bank robberies?