Being criminally insane is not the same as being stupid. There are/were many criminals that are quite intelligent, i.e., the Uni-bomber. These people are not the typical criminals that through bad life choices, drugs, etc., that become “career” criminals, due to being unable to lead a productive life.
Right! They are serious predators who can’t restrain and/or channel ( in a socially beneficial way ) their predatory desire to inflict harm on and dominate other human beings. Problem is that habitual low-level bullying, abuse, and street crime often lead to the same abyss over time. This dark abyss is actually the very definition of evil. There but for the grace of God go all of us. The dog you feed…so to speak.
You haven’t said anything wrong here
So wishing someone would have been there with concealed carry and maybe this would not have been as bad as it was!! Knowing there are a lot of people with their license, but wishing more would get involved!!!
Crazy does not meant stupid… 
I think serial killers are insane, but many are very devious and intelligent.
We are supposed to have a “world view” and believe in moral equivalency. Many of these killers are not insane, but just have a different world view, where killing people that they believe should die is acceptable and justifiable. What’s wrong with just being different? Most states used to have capital punishment, isn’t that the same? They are just following their “laws”.
I am being facetious, but sociopaths are just wired differently than most of the rest of us, which is why it is so difficult for us to understand them. It isn’t crazy, as in illogical and having a twisted sense of reality, when the thought processes are logical, but go against our ethics and morals. We have quite a number of politicians that would then qualify as insane, well, maybe they are…
Alexander, I admit…I am. I live in SoCal and if you’ve been watching any news…you’ll see that my state’s citizens keep electing idiots to office and wonder why our state is swirling down the toilet. You’ve seen the hordes of Californians move to other red states and start pushing their nonsense that turned Cali into a cesspool to begin with. Basically…I live in a land of utter idiots. I don’t want to save them anymore. I don’t want to rescue them from themselves and their own vices. I’m tired of their BS and frankly there should be a law preventing people from moving out of California unless they aren’t represented here. Basically I’d be happy to see all those dumb dems who chose to implement the politicians and laws they did…be forced to stay while those of us against those laws and politicians be allowed to leave. Make them learn and clean up their own mess. I’m tired of watching people vote for douchebags and then complain that gas is more expensive, or crime/homelessness/drug use is rising…no kidding! Wonder why!!!
Yes I’m harsh because I live around stupid everyday and I have to admit…they’re tediously stupid.
I’ve got to ask, was the Boulder King Sooper a gun-free zone?
Oh wait.
King Sooper is a subsidiary of Kroegers
That explains it.
The entire city of Boulder, CO, is pretty much a GFZ. Here’s their municipal codes regarding firearms, knives, and weapons:
A year or 2 ago, they had an “assault weapons ban” overturned by the Supreme Court of Colorado.
You won’t find me walking through a supermarket with my weapon drawn at low-ready, looking for the shooter. That’s a good way to be mistaken for THE shooter and getting shot yourself. I carry to protect myself and my family. If I’m in the line of fire, I’ll (hopefully!) return fire. Otherwise I’m looking for a way out and leaving the response to professionals.
Of course, all of my comments are moot, because the City of Boulder is a gun-free zone that prohibits CCW and the discharge of firearms. I couldn’t have (legally) carried there anyhow. Mass shooters share one trait: they’re cowards who will only attack soft targets. So CCW holders seldom have the opportunity to stop the threat.
OK, mental exercise. You’re in a supermarket and secretly carrying, and you see an active shooter 10 feet from you, at the end of your aisle. He is facing the other direction and shooting innocent people. Do you still try to flee, or do you take the clean shot, knowing that you’ll be prosecuted for illegally carrying? Can you accept the legal penalty, knowing that you’ll have a clear conscience because you saved lives?
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@Ouade5 , great scenario! My short answer, no, I don’t take the shot. Because in your scenario, I just shot a person in the back with an illegally carried weapon, a person who wasn’t directly threatening me. I’ll go to prison for myself or my family, not for total strangers. Perhaps that’s selfishness, but I’m going to follow the laws to the best of my ability.
Fair enough. I’m not on the jury.
In most, if not all, states you can use deadly force against someone who is immediately threatening to take the life or cause severe bodily harm to another.
The illegally carrying part is another issue. I do not knowingly illegally carry. If I was mistakenly in a gun free zone under this proposed scenario I would likely take the shot. After learning that I was in a gun free zone I would hope that the pro gun community would rally to support my family while I am in jail and on trial watching an anti gun prosecutor try to explain how my life saving use of my constitutional right to defend myself and others makes me the bad guy. I would not be able to sleep at night knowing I let people die because of fear of an illegal law.
You don’t consider the chance that in 1 second the murderer will turn about and have you in his sights? At that point, you surely won’t go to prison.
I could understand if you won’t make a stand on others’ behalf, but not anticipating a deadly threat to your own person is short sighted.
Great post Shamrock. I understand and support 100% the point you make, but allow me to play devil’s advocate if I may. There’s simply no such thing as an “illegal law.” If a law has been enacted by the legislature, it’s the law. The fact that you and I disagree with it, or think it violates the Constitution, doesn’t invalidate it. Can we ignore it? Certainly. But we will face the legal ramifications of breaking it as well. I seriously doubt the USCCA would defend you if you shot a guy, no matter how evil he was, in the back with an illegally carried firearm. All of that said, we’re dealing the realm of hypothetical, great post!
@Alexander8, what you describe isn’t the scenario presented by my friend @Ouade5, who asked if I would take the shot at a person not facing me. You’re also making the assumption that I would not have my firearm at high-ready, in case they did turn around. Again, if they turn around brandishing a weapon, @Ouade5 's scenario is no longer valid. It’s a totally different situation with totally different legal and personal ramifications.
Any law that violates the constitution or basic human rights is illegal. Though I agree that would not stop anyone from facing the consequences of that law. I am an annoyingly law abiding person, just ask my wife;) But when faced with the choice of having to do something that is legally right but morally wrong, I hope I would choose to follow my morals and deal with the legal consequences later.
I am also making an assumption that your firearm may go “click” just as he aims at you. The scenario is about life–and-death situation, and giving up your tactical advantage over a mass murderer does not seem wise.