An Unfortunate Class Of Heroes Has Been Created

http://kitup.military.com/2012/07/regarding-an-armed-citizenry.html

Amendment Two of the United States Constitution states that we shall right to bare arms and keep those guns for an active militia.  I have no problems with an armed citizenry, nor do I have a problem with guns, but that is where I stop.  While an armed citizenry (as shown in the article) stops shootings far sooner, there begs the question of the chicken and the egg.  With tougher purchasing laws on record, would guns be needed to stop a crazy person from shooting into a crowd.  Would the heroes listed in the article (not to detract from the hero status) be heroes if the gunman had not started shooting?  No. These senseless acts carried out by those who have no good business owning a gun have created an unfortunate class of heroes. I find guns to be a necessity in America for hunting or sport shooting, but the ease of which the criminally insane can obtain a weapon serious a problem.

While guns are effective tools in the hands of someone trained in their use, they are deadly in the hands of someone who means harm.  Having been around those who use guns as a tool, and those who mean harm, I am still more afraid of those who intend to ill will, but it is a close second for those who use them as tools.  Take for example my friend M (I even changed his initial for anonymity. M is a competent gun owner who has the proper carry permits, several extensive gun classes, and time in law enforcement. Even with the weapons training M has gone through, I still worry that his gun maybe used in an over zealous manner should an event take place.  With adrenaline pumping and the excitement of a shooting clouding judgment, it would be easy for someone who is armed to hurt a bystander or someone trying to help. Even the the fog of excitement, the most trained of people make mistakes.

On the other hand I have been around those who use guns for destruction.  My case for this side of the coin is J (again changed for anonymity). J owned a massive amount of guns, only a few of which were registered and lacked proper training in the use of the guns.  He had no experience in law enforcement or the military.  J eventually used a tactical shot gun to kill himself on the front porch of his former place of business.  J had suffered from documented mental psychosis and when the weapon was recovered it was noted that he had fully loaded the magazine of the shotgun.  His ultimate intentions were to harm himself, but the investigating police determined he could have easily decide to harm those in the place of business.  J (carrying the shotgun in a dufflebag)  walked among pedestrians on the street, took a bus, and spied on those in the business as they work. All of this went undetected and his intention were not made clear until the fatal shot was fired.

Understandably M is the safer gun owner of the two.  J's incident was however more common than anything M might face.  Research shows that death by an armed psychotic person outnumbers those shoot by good Samaritans, but neither are pleasant options With stricter laws in place that limit the sale of guns, we might limit the types and numbers of gun that end up in the hands of those who wish ill on others.  It is simply too easy for anyone to buy a weapon in this country.  Taking the Colorado shooter (who was a broke college student), and M (who owned a disproportional amount of weapons) as examples, it should be clear to anyone that a call for stricter laws on the purchase of guns must go up.  By no means am I petitioning for a limit of certain types of guns, or the number of guns, just the placement of limitations on who buys guns.  A full background check should be required on ALL guns bought in the United State, including those purchased at gun shows and flea markets.  Should these constraints be in place, we will not have to deal with the horrific cases like those listed in the article, J, or the Colorado shooter and with any luck, those who have become heroes for stopping a shooting might become heroes for something more peaceful.