OPINION:
In the wake of Ohio and Texas gun-shooting tragedies, the political and media punditry worlds are going nuts — calling on President Donald Trump to do something, calling on Republicans to fix something, calling on Americans to press their politicians to do something, anything, anything at all that will keep more of these types of tragedies from occurring.
“America is terrified,” claimed the editorial board at The New York Post.
Well and good. Understood.
But banning “assault weapons,” like The New York Post begged, or even completely gutting the Second Amendment and reeling back right-to-carry authorities vested in the people — like Democrats want — aren’t solutions. They’re desperate acts of political expediency, in most cases, that won’t accomplish anything save arming the evil, and disarming the innocent.
What’s needed is scrutiny of the core cultural reasons for these shootings, which range from the pitiful plight of children raised in broken homes to the untested, unknown long-range effects of overly prescribed behavior modification drugs, to the forced push of God from all-things-public in this country. What’s needed is a stark look at mental illness; the secularizing of society; the prevalence of drugs; the absence of moral standards.
But in the immediate: What’s needed are more right-to-carry laws in schools, in churches, in government buildings — in all the areas those with intent to harm are well aware are currently Gun Free Zones, i.e. Sitting Duck Zones, in the minds of the would-be killers.
Here’s why: Statistics from law enforcement show it takes several minutes — as many as five — for police to respond to the scene of an active shooter.
Guess how many shots can be fired in five minutes?
Add to that frightening reality the flimsy emergency protocols and plans in effect at most of the nation’s schools, the country’s businesses, and what’s clear is the recipe for gruesome disaster, for innocence lost. Fact is, requiring identification to enter a middle school or place of business is good — but it doesn’t stop a bullet from flying through a window or door.
What works is practical resistance and logical preparedness.
What works is this, “Concealed Carry Citizen Shoots and Kills Attacker,” the title of one YouTube video from 2016 read.
What works is this, as reported by The Washington Post in mid-2017: “An Ohio judge was shot on Monday morning outside his courthouse in what authorities called an ambush attack that ended when the judge and a probation officer returned fire, killing the attacker.”
What works is this, as reported by the Foundation for Economic Education in March: “A group of teenage thieves entered a pawn shop in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and tried to flee with two guns they grabbed. … Armed store clerks chased the teens and held them at gunpoint until the police could arrive, preventing the future unlawful use of those stolen firearms.”
What works is this, as reported by The Heritage Foundation in March: “A restaurant owner in Akron, Ohio, scared off a masked man who attempted to rob him with a knife. The man fled, and police believe he successfully robbed a different restaurant just hours later.”
What works is this, as reported by American Rifleman this month: “In Baton Rouge, La., an employee at a grocery store was working when a masked man entered early in the morning. The robber had a gun. … One employee grabbed a gun and fired as the armed robber tried to jump over the counter. … The employee shot the robber.”
What works is letting those with lawful rights to carry — carry.
It’s a simple observance backed by common sense and statistics, but it’s one that could save lives, many lives.
If right-to-carry laws were expanded, not crimped, not impeded, not infringed, no doubt many of those killed during these tragic shootings taking place around America, in the schools, in our places of business and gathering and worshipping, would still be alive.
We can’t fight off bullets with policy statements.
We can’t stop evil shooters with laws.
We can’t keep sitting as ducks — and forcing our children, our innocent, to sit as ducks as well. And you know who knows this reality the most?
The politicians and leftists and celebrity types and elitists who live in well-secured, well-defended bubbles, and who are escorted and protected and shielded by armed personnel and, in some case, private guards.
• Cheryl Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com or on Twitter, @ckchumley.
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