Why not have good firearms training to let folks carry concealed weapons to help stop mall shootings?

Question

Did you ever notice these cowards never attack a police station or an army base? The rule to be armed would be you most have been employed for 3yrs, have 3 character references from non-relatives, no felony, drug, or DUI convictions and then a two week training course by a current or retired policeman.

Delphi......haw will a better understanding of the mentally ill stop them from mass murder?

Anne......you have to be kidding.

Urthicka.....policemen? Did ya ever notice about most of thses incidents how they get there after the shooting is all over. And that is no criticism of the cops. Good nite and good luck.

Answer 1

Let me paraphrase a wiser man than I- "An armed society is a polite society."

I don't know that its a matter of training, though some sort of certification process is inevitable. It's political and philosophical, subject to regulatory tweaking, like driving a car.

DC has arguably the most restrictive gun laws in the country, yet has an extremely high crime rate, almost as if there's a linear correlation between restrictive gun laws and gun violence. Colorado has lots of guns, yet Columbine occurred there, though in a gun-free environment. In Switzerland (with an excellent standard of living) males are *required* to keep a full-auto assault weapon with ammo at home, yet you don't hear much about crime or massacres in Switzerland.

I think we have two issues here- 1) what sort of society fosters crime and concomitant escalation of violence and 2) what sort of environment might deter gun-related violence?

The first seems simpler to identify, albeit subject to sociology-related bias. But we can try. How is society different in DC from Switzerland?

The latter seems even more subjective. In which localities are personally carried guns effective deterrents to gun violence? If the NRA has data to support this position, it's gotten little media hype.

Let me add this observation- Gun control is a hot-button issue. Most people are pro-gun or anti-gun, so objective discussion becomes difficult. Thus the goal of stopping mall shootings becomes secondary- the real issue is whether people should carry concealed weapons or not. That is a can of worms.

Given recent history, I perceive that the anti-gunners are disingenuous because they squeeze legislators to tweak regulations to diminish legal use of firearms. NRA types tend towards hyperbole in their rhetoric, though I agree with the philosophy.

Case in point- NJ Senator Lautenberg, under pressure from feminists, got a bill passed that made misdemeanor domestic abuse sufficient cause to take a law enforcement officer's gun away, effectively taking his job away. Who wants a bullying cop to have a gun, right? If he committed *felony* spousal abuse, there were regulatory mechanisms to let him keep his gun. The Supreme Court threw out this law because the justices felt that if the lesser crime (misdemeanor) carried worse penalties than a greater crime (felony), this was unconstitutional.

I look at this as one more example of the lowest-common denominator principle among the PC crowd. How so? Thanks for asking. Let's look for a moment at fireworks. 50 years ago, I grew up with legal fireworks. 200,000,000 American people had access to traditional Fourth of July fun. Let's say only half actually bought and enjoyed fireworks. Every year, about ten people would die from stupid use of fireworks. Ten out of 100 million. So, to protect the dumbest ten Darwin-Awards individuals, the other 99,999, 990 are legally prohibited from enjoying a classic Norman Rockwell kind of Fourth of July.

This applies also to guns. Every time one social misfit misbehaves, the remainder of society find their ability to purchase, own or use firearms becomes restricted.

Ironically, there seems to be no great social impetus to restrict those activities that cause more deaths among a society. I'm thinking of driving a car, overeating, or those voluntary activities that lead to death such as skydiving. But this leads to a rant, not appropriate here.

Thanks for your patience.

Answer 2

Is the US so dangerous that people feel the need to carry a concealed weapon? In some areas, yes. The United States is a big country with about 300 million people, some good, some bad, some very bad. There are some areas in the US that are really dangerous, ironically these also tend to be the areas with the strictest gun laws. Then there are other areas that look like a Norman Rockwell painting. I sometimes carry a concealed firearm when traveling on long trips because I realize that I am ultimately reasonable for my own protection. When danger threatens it's usually too late to call a policeman. Violent crime in the US is the result (in my opinion) of a lenient judicial system that favors the rights of the guilty at the expense of the victim. Over the last 40 years this has only gotten worse. In the US violent criminals are seriously dealt with only after committing several crimes, often having sentences bargained down to a lesser offense in court before their criminal activity finally earns them a significant prison term. The US is one of the few counties where citizens can legally own firearms, and under the right circumstances even own full auto weapons (think machine gun). This gun-love we have is something uniquely American. The United States was born through the muzzle of a gun and firearms played a decisive roll in the shaping of this country. The right to own a firearm is just as important to most Americans as the right to free speech and a free press. You would be hard pressed to find another country on the planet that is more atavistic about firearm ownership than the United States.

Answer 3

Yeah...that'll work. I would qualify easy for that. Would've qualified easy for that while going through a major depression, suicidal, and fantasizing about snipering my boss. Thank God I never bought a gun and my univeristy had free psychiatric therapy for full time students. Most of these folks need access to affordable therapy not access to guns when they're not going through a depression. You never know what will set someone off. I would rather have less people with guns on the street than more. I know how crazy a person can get and I was lucky enough to get a chance to recover because I DIDN'T HAVE A GUN and thus I couldn't shoot my *** of a boss, something I am very glad for today.

Answer 4

Only problem here is most people have not committed their first crime until well they do!
Who's to say when Joe Schmoe is going to snap or start using drugs. Then what? You just legally armed the idiot.
Handguns in homes for protection: YES
Handguns in the streets for protection: HELL NO, thats why we pay taxes to have policemen. We dont need renegades out there!
RG: if I wanted to rob you or rape your wife and I had a gun that if for a second I thought you were going to go for a gun I would have splattered your/her brains on the concrete before you ever touched your weapon! Because my gun sure as hell would not be in a holster waiting (like yours). And while Im thinking about it how would they know you had the gun before they attacked? You have a sign on your forehead or something? SIGN says: a yup you dont wants ta mug me causin I's a concealed weapons permit holder ayuck! To quote Bill Engvall "Here's your sign"
I have read several stories where Joe I want to pretend to be someone special tried to save the day and ended up getting innocent people killed. (dont ask me to produce them, its been over the past couple years in different media)

It takes one idiot, or in the case of this post many idiots to believe they can cure the world by carrying their own gun with them everywhere they go.


UPDATE/EDIT
Did you ever notice the person with the gun still in his holster didnt have a chance?
Good night and keep dreaming the thoughts I wanna be a cowboy, I do, I do
Hey the firemen show up after the fire, so I say firetrucks for everyone.
Ambulances show up after the crises, ambulances for everyone.
Oh hell I want the 2008 firelance with the twin colts. Just so I can pretend to save the world

The more I think about it more good would come from the ambulances for everyone. That would save thousands upon thousands more lives than the gun permits ever would. Right? Based on your simple (simpleton) logic this case is 101% more valid than concealed carry!

Damned it got quiet! Robert G/Rube (fits - I meant rhube) where did ya go? Must be out henching tax money!

Answer 5

How about a better understanding of mental illness and the ability to help those that suffer. This is not a gun issue.

A better question may be why would a 19 year old think that going out in style means taking innocents with him? Yes a better understanding of mental health will lessen these incidents.

Answer 6

People kill people. I believe it is a sociological problem not a gun problem. I beliieve in the right to arms. I do not have a gun, nor do i want one. But I want the right to carry one if I feel the need. I feel the people should be able to protect liberty of this country. I think killing innocent people is very wrong though. We as Americans have to address the sociological problems to stop the violence.

Answer 7

That chick at the top shows you how libs take an issue and twist it all out of whack. Great line of thinking there honey, because we all know how much nukes and handguns have in common!! The fact is, if the media were to actually report the positive stories of law-abiding citizens defending themselves with firearms (and it actually happens almost everyday folks) maybe we could make some progress. On a side note, crazy people will find a way to committ atrocities such as these even without handguns. As I stated earlier, 19 Islamic terrorists killed 3,000 Americans without a single firearm.

Answer 8

Why would a misdemeanor, such as a DUI cause someone to forfeit their Rights?

Maybe metal detectors at Mall entrances would be a more reasonable approach.

Answer 9

You know to the guy that said that is why we have policeman... Imagine this you are in the middle of being mugged or worse, are you going to ask for a quick time out to call the police? Concealed carry is one of the biggest deterrents for crime. You think a mugger or rapist is going to worry about his victim knowing they cannot carry a weapon?

Answer 10

Now I don't condone the violence and senseless shootings everywhere, but I don't think me having a ccwp would help anything ...it might make things worse.