OT: Colorado shooting

[vintagetoppsguy]

Medications, brain scans, psych exams, etc are one way to deal with loons; arming yourself and being prepared is another. I choose the latter and apparently so do a lot of other folks in Colorado:

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/07/24...t-since-movie/

[Peter_Spaeth]

In Arizona you don't even need a permit. Why didn't anyone take down Jared Loughner, surely people in that large Arizona crowd had guns. My supposition -- when it happens that fast, it's a lot easier to react in theory than in practice.

[brickyardkennedy]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

In Arizona you don't even need a permit. Why didn't anyone take down Jared Loughner, surely people in that large Arizona crowd had guns. My supposition -- when it happens that fast, it's a lot easier to react in theory than in practice.

When maybe a dozen people in a theater start pulling guns, who do you shoot? How do you discern the good guys from the potential accomplices? Do you shoot at the guy already firing or at the guy next to you waving a gun around, who may put a couple of rounds in you? Unrealistic to believe that, with a dozen or two guns going off, in such a chaotic situation, that even more innocent people wouldn't be killed or injured by the wanna be good guys. Even trained, disciplined cops, have shot one another in gun battles with criminals or have shot undercover cops because they couldn't tell they were one of their own.

[vintagetoppsguy]

Well said, Bob. To expand on that, yes, Peter, Arizona does have an open carry law. However, that law does not apply to all places. I'm guessing that a political event is one of those places in which the open carry law doesn't apply. I may be wrong on that and somebody can take the time to look it up if they feel they need to prove me wrong, but it's just a guess.

[barrysloate]

It doesn't surprise me that in the wake of this incident, some are calling for stricter gun laws, and others suggest more Americans should go out and get guns. It's our great divide.

And as Bob just pointed out, can you picture a pitch black movie theatre where dozens of spectators are armed, and all start shooting at who they think is the bad guy, without really being able to see clearly, and with kids and adults running in all directions...not to mention the stress each of them is dealing with under such horrific conditions. I don't know what the answer is, but that hardly looks like a great choice.

[Matthew H]

Originally Posted by vintagetoppsguy

Medications, brain scans, psych exams, etc are one way to deal with loons; arming yourself and being prepared is another. I choose the latter and apparently so do a lot of other folks in Colorado:

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/07/24...t-since-movie/

Yes, many of the folks in South Central LA feel the same way. Most of the gang related homicide cases end up manslaughter due to there being no real proof as to who was just defending themselves... Too bad for the kids that get caught in the crossfire. Maybe they should be armed too. I totally agree with "a lot of other folks in Colorado" We need more guns. If people had guns that night they could have shot back... He did have body armor though, so the next time you bring your family out to the movies, make sure everyone has their gun and body armor on. There, problem solved.

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by vintagetoppsguy

Medications, brain scans, psych exams, etc are one way to deal with loons; arming yourself and being prepared is another. I choose the latter and apparently so do a lot of other folks in Colorado:

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/07/24...t-since-movie/

Preserved to remind me of the public mentality toward "dealing with loons". Thanks for your insight David.