In today’s Concealed Carry Report, Tim talks about several recent mass shootings and the questions that often follow such a tragedy:
BY TIM SCHMIDT - USCCA FOUNDER
By now you’re undoubtedly aware of the three tragedies that occurred over the last two weeks:
In Gilroy, California, a gunman murdered three — Stephen Romero (6), Keyla Salazar (13) and Trevor Deon Irby (25) — and wounded 13 when he opened fire at the Gilroy Garlic Festival on July 28.
On the morning of Aug. 3, a lone shooter walked into an El Paso, Texas, Walmart and murdered 22 people: Javier Rodriguez (15), Andre Anchondo (23), Jordan Anchondo (24), Leonard Cipeda Campos (41), Ivan Hilierto Manzano (46), Maribel Hernandez (56), Elsa Libera Marquez (57), María Eugenia Legarreta Rothe (58), Arturo Benavides (60), Jorge Calvillo García (61), Gloria Irma Marquez (61), Margie Reckard (63), David Alvah Johnson (63), Alexander Gerhard Hoffman (66), Sara Esther Regalado (66), Adolfo Cerros Hernandez (68), Raul Flores (77), Maria Flores (77), Juan Velázquez (77), Teresa Sánchez de Freitas (82), Angelina Englisbee (86) and Luis Alfonzo Juarez (90). Twenty-four others were injured in the attack.
In Dayton, Ohio, in the early morning hours of Aug. 4, a male perpetrator opened fire outside the entrance to Ned Peppers Bar in the Oregon Historic District, murdering nine — Megan Betts (22), Nicholas Cumer (25), Thomas McNichols (25), Lois Oglesby (27), Logan Turner (30), Beatrice Warren-Curtis (36), Saeed Saleh (38), Monica Brickhouse (39) and Derrick Fudge (57) — and injuring 27 others (14 from gunfire).
As is usually the case following any mass murder — let alone three in such a short period of time — people are left with the one question we may never truly be able to answer: Why? Why would anyone commit such an atrocity against other innocent people?
In fact, in the aftermath of tragedies such as these, the desire to know why is what sometimes pushes people to thoughtlessly say things that perhaps they normally wouldn’t say. You see, when we don’t have all the answers, the easiest thing in the world to do is to point fingers:
“Those guys obviously had easy access to guns. We need more background checks!”
“There is no reason why anyone should be able to own guns like those or have that many rounds! We must enact bans on these weapons NOW!”
And perhaps the most common of all:
“We need to just get rid of ALL guns so these mass murders can’t happen again!”
Almost as illogically are the folks who start to use other, often unrelated issues to back pro-gun, pro-Second-Amendment folks into a corner — insinuating that we either don’t care or are OK with innocent people being murdered.
Here are a few of the tasteless comments I’ve seen:
“Let’s take a moment to honor the sacrifice of our brave school children who lay down their lives to protect our right to bear arms.”
“The GOP insists that the Vegas shooter’s gun arsenal is ‘a right,’ but medical treatment for his 500+ survivors is merely ‘a privilege.’”
“New Rule: If you ban abortion before you ban military-style assault rifles that massacre children in schools, you’ve lost your right to call yourself ‘pro-life.’”
Now, I know that these statements are fueled by anger and heartache and the innate desire to do something, but there’s a huge problem here: They all shift the blame to something other than the individuals responsible for carrying out such atrocities.
You and I already know and acknowledge that these tragic events are intentional acts committed by vile men and women who don’t care at all for precious human life. Instead of pointing our fingers at the president, a political party or a particular gun, we hold the perpetrators of these acts accountable.
I believe that all responsibly armed Americans have a duty — especially in the face of terrible events such as those that transpired in California, Texas and Ohio — to respond to inaccurate and cruel statements about guns, concealed carry, the Second Amendment or anything else about which we’re knowledgeable and which can direct this important conversation in a truthful way.
And so, I ask you: Are you standing up and speaking up? Are you joining and helping to guide these tough conversations? I’d love for you to share your thoughts here on the USCCA Community.*
Take Care and Stay Safe,
Tim Schmidt
Publisher - Concealed Carry Report
USCCA Founder
* This sentence changed because you’re already in the Community.