Violence upon the Riders

Here is the Powerline post, An Argument For An Armed Citizenry . Here's the first Star Tribune article, Dad who shielded daughter in attack at Valleyfair recovering, wife says. A silly editorial is here, Editorial: More violence, more questions. Valleyfair beating assaults us all. An alter ego of mine responded to Powerline forum comments thusly: This assertion, “But the truth is that a world where most of the law abiding citizens have guns is also a world where guns are more plentiful and cheap enough for more bad guys to get a hold of as well,” is nonsense. The mere presence of firearms has no bearing on the intentions of those possessing them. Firearms are not some pathogen infecting their possessors with crazed passions and lusts. Do you suppose that if one of these “misunderstood youths” were holding a Keltec or a Firestorm sideways, he would not have “capped the bitch”? Suppose a permit holder came on the scene three head stomps in. I’ll bet you a dime’s worth of reasoned argument to ten dollars of hoplophobia the mere appearance of a steady, modified Weaver stance by a 111 pound, 5’2” female with a .357 six shooter would have stopped that crap right now!!! Are you unable to distinguish an act of perfidy from an act of self defense, just because a firearm might be involved as the instrument equalizing 8 to 1 odds? If you ever call the police for help, will you ask them to leave their Glocks in the car? Crime is not caused by firearm density, but by the density of criminals, double meaning intended. And this bit of pultroonery, “On a small localized scale I can find anecdotes where carrying a concealed weapon saved an innocent life, and I can also find anecdotes where the concealed weapon made a bad situation worse”. Good for you, anecdotes. Firearms are used defensively some 1.8 to 2.5 million times annually to deter acts of criminals. I disremember how frequently they are fired, but a majority of instances of threats and assaults end with the mere appearance of a weapon. Good for the Valley Fair security guards; but an unarmed guard, like the one at Red Lake High School, armed only with a cell phone is more properly called a target. All such “security” can do is phone for someone with a gun. Please do not ask me to stand by waiting for that man with a gun to arrive while my spouse is being threatened, assaulted or “smacked by the homies”. This is a sad situation, but to assume that it would have turned out better with an armed citizenry is flawed reasoning. There are better methods of arguing for expanded concealed and carry legislation without resorting to such flawed appeals to emotion. A third bit of flotsam, “This is a sad situation, but to assume that it would have turned out better with an armed citizenry is flawed reasoning.” Yes, it turned out just fine without any firearms at all. Swell. I got your flawed reasoning right here. The man who might wake up in his hospital bed wondering where the past thirteen days went will no doubt say to himself, “If only I had just given those nice young men what they wanted, my daughter, none of this would have happened.” See above flawed reasoning about the 5’2” w/.357. Let’s make here blonde and buxom. I guaroon-damn-tee you, those nice, misunderstood “youts” wouldn’t be focusing their predatory glares at the blondeness nor the buxomness. Even their tiny lizard brains are attacted by small, shiny objects of stainless steel and the steel backing it up. “Col. Jeff Cooper: “One bleeding-heart type asked me in a recent interview if I did not agree that ‘violence begets violence.’ I told him that it is my earnest endeavor to see that it does. I would like very much to ensure — and in some cases I have — that any man who offers violence to his fellow citizen begets a whole lot more in return than he can enjoy.” Your groupings downrange may vary.