Gun Control, Self Defense and Aurora, CO

By RU Special Guest – Joe R.

This may come across as insensitive and callous, but it is not intended that way. It may be poor in timing, but there is no better a time to be reminded of fact as when tragedy is fresh in our minds. What I have to say here is said with a heavy heart and with grief for the innocent lives lost in a needless, senseless act of disgusting violence that was perpetrated yesterday. It is said only to express my mindset and in the hopes of enticing others to take up the same call: Not on my watch, not in my presence and not to my family.

Over the years I have taken a lot of grief from family and friends over the fact that I refuse to step out my front door, even to run a quick errand 10 minutes there and back to the store to pick up a gallon of milk for my kids without making sure that I’ve got my handgun on my side or immediately ready in my car. I’ve been called paranoid, hyper-vigilant, “Tackleberry”, overly cautious and a whole slew of other negatively intended connotations due to my desire to always be armed. But its incidents like the shooting in Aurora yesterday and all the others that immediately come to mind that only serve to reinforce my commitment to being armed at all times when I leave my house. I will not stand idly by, watching in horror as some evil event unfolds before my eyes, knowing that had I made the right decision, I could have made the difference for one or 71 people at any moment, simply by being there and being properly prepared.

And as inevitably as the sun setting, the news media has already begun making connections between the legally purchased guns used by that scumbag in Aurora and the expiration of the Clinton era assault weapons ban. As if somehow were those laws still into effect, this tragedy would not have occurred.

Don’t misunderstand me, what happened in Aurora is sad, it is sickening and it is deplorable. But the useless pandering and agenda pushing of the major media outlets has long past been tiring.

What they have yet to mention on ONE SINGLE broadcast is the fact that the theaters in Aurora are considered “Gun free” zones. What that means is that in the state of Co, where concealed carry permits are issued to any and all who apply that can legally carry a gun, the theaters themselves have elected to prohibit legally armed citizens from carrying their legally possessed firearms inside the theaters.

Meaning simply that IF there were any CCW holders at the theater that night, they were not allowed to carry their weapons into the theater. Well done Century. So assuming there was a single law abiding citizen with a CCW in the theater, in order to comply with the laws of the state of CO and maintain their right to carry, they would have to abide by the policy of the theater and not carry their firearm into the theater……

While that crazy eff’r proved to us all that gun laws don’t stop gun crime by walking into a “Gun Free” zone armed to the teeth, claiming the lives of 12 innocent people and wounding many more.

What REALLY makes me sick about this whole thing is the knowledge that had just one single person in that theater been armed, and had that one single person possessed the intestinal fortitude to stand in the gap, they may have been able to prevent 12 people from dying. Maybe, maybe not…we will never know.

But we know beyond a shadow of a doubt, from example after example in Columbine, VA Tech, Arizona, Alabama and countless other mass shootings that large groups of unarmed people provide nothing more than a target rich environment for a mentally deranged to exploit at will without fear of being challenged.

Col. Dave Grossman puts it perfectly when he equates everyday citizens in society as a flock of sheep, predators like that sickening a-hole in Aurora as wolves who prey upon the sheep and protectors of society (cops, soldiers and legally carrying armed civilians with the proper mindset and training) as sheepdogs, protectors of the flock.

His purpose IS NOT to belittle those classified as sheep, but rather to explain their mindset: They are going about their daily lives oblivious to the threats that lurk about them at all times. They are focused solely on living their lives, on going to school, driving to work, going to see a movie. Never once does the thought that at any moment, their entire world could come crashing in around them, that life as they know it could cease to exist at any second. They see only what is immediately in front of them, going through life with their heads down. Grazing in the pasture of life, oblivious to the fact that in lurking in the shadows, waiting for the opportune moment to pounce, is the wolf. The wolf goes by many names: Charles Whitman, Seung-Hui Cho, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, Joseph Ferguson, Matthew Murray, Jared Loughner and now James Holmes. The only thing standing between the sheep and the wolf is the Sheepdog: The Sheepdog goes by the name of soldier protecting us from threats from overseas; of cop protecting us from the terror on the street or like in the case of the 2007 Colorado Springs church shooting, by the name of Jeanne Assam, a female church member who volunteered at the church as an armed security officer.

Whatever the location, whenever the time and whoever the wolf, the sheep or the sheepdog, the story remains the same: A sick in the head individual singles out a lightly protected or unprotected target – a school, where carrying of firearms is federally banned, a church, where historically people feel safe and attend unarmed, a street-side political gathering, a movie premiere and launches a devastating armed assault on a group of unsuspecting people, free from any real fear of anyone fighting back.

The wolf tears theses people’s worlds apart, shatters their belief of safety and does so without remorse, without compassion and without concern over who his victims are. His only thought is to create as much carnage as possible. For some it is the hope of fame, or more accurately, infamy that drives them. For others it is retribution for some perceived insult. Whatever the motivation, the end result remains the same: People’s lives are torn to pieces. Our collective belief in safety and security are shattered. We mourn the loss of life, be it someone’s 100 year old grandmother or 5 year old daughter. And time and time again, those powers that are supposed to be looking out for the good of society fail to turn their ire on the parties most responsible. They do not place blame on the individual as much as on the makers of the tools used in his assault.

They refuse to take an honest look at a justice system that repeatedly returns life-long criminal predators loose on the streets. Rather than blame the one person solely responsible for the mayhem he has caused, they seek to use their position to attempt to rile up the public against the gun manufacturers and gun owners of America. They call out for still more gun control laws, more gun bans, more regulations…all the while absolutely IGNORING the fact that in EVERY case of an incident like this last one, the gunman who killed a bunch of innocent people ignored a multitude of LAWS ALREADY ON THE BOOKS in committing his crime. They refuse to accept the fact that someone intent of committing such an act is by very definition a criminal: One who breaks the law.

Last I checked, it was illegal to kill someone, yet murders occur every day in America. It was illegal for Holmes to bring a gun into the “gun free zone” of the theater; surprisingly, that didn’t stop him. It was illegal for Cho to bring guns onto the campus at VA Tech, but he did. Klebold and Harris violated numerous laws just in possessing many of the guns and ALL of the homemade explosives they used in Columbine; yet they did it anyway. The list goes on and on….proving nothing more poignantly than the fact that laws DO NOT prevent criminals from committing crimes. They are called criminals because they break the law. Ergo, without laws to be broken, we could not have criminals.

How many more times do we have to learn this lesson before it sinks in to our collective minds?

Bottom line: If you have the right and ability to carry a firearm for the defense of yourself, your family or, God forbid, the general public and you fail to do so, you are actively joining the ranks of the sheep, no more capable of stopping the wolf than they are. You have CHOSEN to make yourself just another target, waiting on and hoping for an ounce of mercy or good fortune that may not come your way. You are failing yourself, your family and your community. But sadly, you are doing so with the full knowledge that had you made the right decision, you could have, possibly, been the one hope of rescue, of safety, of security that you, your family or your fellow citizens may have been able to count on to ensure that they get home safely to their loved ones on whatever day the wolf comes knocking.

We can never know if the tragedy in Aurora could have had a happier ending had there been even one person physically and mentally prepared and with the right tools for the job in that group of moviegoers, but we can rest assured on one thing: We know that the end result will always be a high body count and rely solely on the stroke of luck or good fortune to stop it when the wolf breaks into the pen and finds nothing but sheep ripe for slaughter in his sights. Rest assured, guns won’t always jam early in the massacre, the bad guys won’t always run out of ammo just 15 minutes into their spree and one cannot count on an evil madman to flee or turn his gun on himself after killing only two or three innocent people.

There will come a day when the only difference between another mass murder and a narrowly avoided catastrophe will be one sheepdog, mentally prepared and physically equipped who is ready to take action. We can never know when or where that day will be. But we can, if we choose, always know that we are ready to be the one, should we be there in the wrong place at the right time to stand in the gap on that day that evil comes calling for innocent prey.

Dum spiramus tuebimur – “While we breathe, we shall defend”

 

 

29 Comments

1. 

   Mr. Twisted

   July 24, 2012 at 4:04 pm

   Great article, Joe.

   The “gun free zone” also applied to Virginia Tech, and we see how well that worked.

   Just a quick note: Century Theaters is owned by Cinemark, and it is Cinemark’s policy to not allow concealed carry, so this problem does not end with the Century Theaters in Aurora, CO.

   Reply
   • 

     Joe

     July 24, 2012 at 4:07 pm

     You are correct. I actually updated/corrected that in a follow-up editing of this, but due to computer connectivity issues, ended up sending the original, unedited version. Sadly, many businesses in CCW issuing states follow this same example. It’s idiocy in action. Thanks for posting the correction on here!!

     JR

     Reply
2. 

   Eric

   July 24, 2012 at 4:24 pm

   What if someone had a CCW, stood up to the shooter, and then accidently killed another panicked movie-goer in the crossfire? Are they a hero then? I completely understand the right to bare arms, but the right to bare automatic machine guns is completely unncessary. Are you going to carry a concealed UZI to a movie theatre every saturday night out? If everyone did that, there’s more likely to be an accident firing death than you saving everyone’s lives from a mass murder. These things SEEM like they happen often, but they don’t. Not in comparison to the accidental gun deaths that occur every year. Besides, these mass-murders are sociopaths, or severally disturbed individuals who are unable to comprehend their actions are real. We don’t have terrorists coming into our theatres everyday because we have government agencies and national security measures to prevent them. Keep your hand guns, have 12-15-20 rounds in the clip, no problem. But there is absolutely no need for high powered military grade automatic weapons in the United States.

   Reply
   • 

     Rob

     July 24, 2012 at 9:35 pm

     I just watched a great video of Suzanna Gratia Hupp whose mother and father were killed in a mass shooting in Kileen Tx, and she made a great argument that law abiding citizens were using “assualt rifles” to protect their businesses and families during the LA riots. There are needs for these types of firearms.

     Reply
   • 

     scrtsqrl

     July 24, 2012 at 11:03 pm

     What role did automatic machine guns or high powered military grade weapons play in the above commentary?

     Reply
   • 

     William

     July 25, 2012 at 2:56 pm

     1. Why the beef with full auto weapons?
     2. They are actually in accord with the intent of the 2nd amendment right to keep and bear arms in order to provide for a proper militia.
     3. Accidents happen, yes. That’s no justification for prohibition. After all, how many people die from accidents in cars, with industrial machinery, etc. each year? I guarantee that a proposal to ban factories or privately owned vehicles is DOA.

     Reply
   • 

     Bullfrog

     July 25, 2012 at 9:48 pm

     All machine guns are “automatic”- that’s what makes them machine guns. Hand guns don’t have “clips” they have magazines- no it isn’t semantics, clips and magazines are two different things.
     The “assault weapons ban” banned more than just machine guns, and it only takes looking at the state of California to see that “hard” laws mean nothing. California laws are more restrictive than much of Canada other than concealed carry- guess what, it’s not working. Stop worrying about the type of machine that could cause damage, and figure out what will happen if the wrong person plans to do you harm.

     Reply
3. 

   G&B

   July 24, 2012 at 4:51 pm

   Joe,

   I had actually planned on writing a similar article, I’m very glad I didn’t, as expressed it perfectly, better than I would have. Well written, and I couldn’t agree with you more…

   G&B

   Reply
4. 

   Quickburn

   July 24, 2012 at 5:20 pm

   You speak the truth. So be it for those who choose not to listen.

   Reply
5. 

   B. Schen

   July 24, 2012 at 5:37 pm

   YOU ARE IGNORANT! Have you ever been to Aurora, CO.? I live here. Oh how I wish you had been in that theater to stop the evil happenings of that tragic night! You sicken me! I’m NOT for or against gun control. I’m against ordinary citizens owning assault weapons! But then, I’m sure you go hunting all the time with your AK47. What a waiste of air-space you are.

   Reply
   • 

     Eleos

     July 24, 2012 at 6:06 pm

     Just how is the author of this piece ignorant? Is that your opinion simply because he may not live in your city/state? If you are going to make such a claim be sure that you can back it up.

     How can you be neither “for or against gun control” but be against ordinary citizens owning assault weapons? That is gun control. To quote a great author, “An armed society is a polite society” (Robert Heinlein). Just look at the crime rates in Switzerland.

     Oh and I believe you meant waste, not waiste.

     Reply
   • 

     TBL

     July 24, 2012 at 6:20 pm

     Bahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

     Reply
   • 

     M. Mansfield

     July 24, 2012 at 7:35 pm

     Apparently you missed the entire main point of the message. A criminal, a person who is intent on breaking the law, doesn’t abide by the law. Even if you reinstate the Clinton era “assault weapons” ban, it would not have stopped this man. He probably would have chosen a different firearm for the task he was set on committing. Even by the “legal” definition of said firearm you are referring to, which is simply a semi-automatic weapon that LOOKS like a fully-automatic weapon. Keep in mind I am not including the numerous additions to the cosmetics of the weapons you are discussing. The author here is arguing for the right to defend yourself on equal grounds with your armed attacker. As we have all seen well before this latest tragedy, a “gun-free” zone is a “kill-zone.” To suggest that the police who are in fact minutes or more away can adequately defend you when you are under such a lethal threat is absolutely retarded. Perhaps you should just bury your head in the dirt like an ostrich, or just grazing on your grass. Perhaps being ignorant of your dangerous world in which you live in outside of your mind where the law will prevent criminals from doing bad things will be enough to stop them. When will you wake up and realize that there are bad people out there, that will do bad things to you, unless you are mentally ready, and physically prepared to confront them. Until that time comes you have obviously decided to let better people than yourself provide your adequate self-defense for you.

     Reply
   • 

     Tony

     July 24, 2012 at 10:30 pm

     I don’t have an AK but I do have a SKS which shoots the same round. It is a good round for hogs and deer.

     Nice contradiction of yourself there, “I’m NOT for or against gun control. I’m against ordinary citizens owning assault weapons!”. Have you ever heard of critical thinking? As for calling the writer ignorant, in what way is he uneducated about the situation? You live in Aurora, I guess now we know what is wrong with that city.

     Reply
6. 

   Eleos

   July 24, 2012 at 5:52 pm

   Thank you for your article!

   My husband and I just moved and decided to take in a show at the local theater. He dropped me off to park and I had to walk back to the truck because, as at Aurora, they have a huge sign saying, “No firearms.” I met him half-way through the lot and, needless to say, this made him angry and me a bit on edge. I don’t think we will patronize the place again and I have written a letter to the manager. Oh, the theater we were in had one exit/entrance. One can’t really count the emergency exits as you would have to cross a veritable killing field to reach them.

   Reply
7. 

   Jake

   July 24, 2012 at 6:26 pm

   B. Schen,

   You are either a troll or a damn idiot. Armed citizens do make a difference. I do go hunting with my “Assault Rifle”, and many people use the SKS (which is the same caliber as the AK47). I’m sure someone like you doesn’t even have a clue when it comes to weapons. Where I live, we don’t have many break-ins or shootings. Why? Because we are heavily armed and they wouldn’t get far.

   The fact that you think that one armed person couldn’t stop that predator is very telling of your sheepish type of personality. Or maybe your more like a little dog with a lot of bark, but no bite. You just run scared when faced with a dangerous situation and wait for a better person then you to come and save your sorry ass. You call Joe a waste of space, what would that make you? People like you honestly make me sick.

   P.S.
   Great article Joe R. I will spread it around as much as possible.

   Reply
8. 

   SelfDefenseIsQuicker

   July 24, 2012 at 6:33 pm

   B.Schen, your argument is old and tired. We banned assault weapons until the statute expired. Failure to extend it was due to its unpopularity even among Democrats. Go back and look at the stats and you’ll see that ban did nothing to lower murder rates. This shooter likely picked the theatre because he knew law-abiding citizens would honor their gun ban. Four former military died in that theatre–including one woman fresh from Iraq. He also rigged his apartment to explode before he hit the theatre. If he couldn’t have obtained an assault rifle, he would’ve simply tossed homemade bombs into the threatre–whether those were banned or not, lol. There’s a reason we suffer these mass shootings in recent years: The un-scientific psychological theories arising out of the 1960′s are bunk. This guy is a sociopath, a biological disorder of the brain detectable with a functional MRI–the same disorder that renders serial killers conscienceless. He was born that way, and there’s no treatment or cure. Before the 1970′s/80′s families could have these people committed. Now the courts and psyciatrists block all such efforts until the whacko kills someone. Apparently, the psychiatrists are very afraid of being sued, but not afraid of being shot down like the rest of us. They’ll have to step up to the plate at some point, because this won’t be the last such massacre…until they do.

   Reply
9. 

   JB

   July 24, 2012 at 6:49 pm

   B. Schen I think you need to re-read the article. I don’t believe you grasped the message the author was conveying…

   Reply
10. 

    Kate

    July 24, 2012 at 8:42 pm

    “This year will go down in history. For the first time, a civilized nation has full gun registration. Our streets will be safer, our police will be more efficient, and the world will follow our lead into the future!” You go, Adolph. It’s a good thing our Congressional reps are following your lead.

    Further limiting lawful citizens’ access to guns will only force citizen sheepdogs to become unwilling sheep. Rock on, Joe.

    Reply
11. 

    michael e

    July 24, 2012 at 9:11 pm

    By far one of the best written, Pulitzer deserving pieces I have read in a long time! .God bless the sheep dogs! B Schen. Is a damn tool who would be the first begging the sheep dog for protection.

    Reply
12. 

    Eathan

    July 25, 2012 at 9:41 am

    I’m prior service, own a firearm, and don’t carry. (No CCW in our state.)
    Chicago has appalling rates of murder in city streets. Only gang members and random thugs have guns with them.
    When they decide to use their ILLEGAL firearms, they don’t ask permission or check local regulations.
    They just do what they please and act with impunity. The police are always 5 minutes away from any shooting that takes 30 seconds to complete.

    The shooter in that movie theatre was in a no carry zone. He blocked the exit and opened up with tear gas in a dark noisy room. He was heavily armored and used almost every tactical advantage. The firing was rapid and only stopped because of weapon malfunction / swap. He picked a target-rich zone late at night. The most ardent CCW proponent would have been forced to make a tough shot.

    Save 1 life out of 12 dead? Stop 1 more person from being wounded? Buy someone 30 seconds of time? That’s what Being able to carry would have done. What if you shot a kid? CCW permits are a burden. That thought goes thru everyone who has to unholster a weapon Every Time. Caution. Vigilance. Responsibility. Sheepdog isn’t a Twitter sound byte. It’s a cross to bear. Make mistakes and people die. Fail to do your job and people die. Life is high stakes poker these days. You can go to jail making the wrong call. You can’t sit home and pretend not to be involved. There are people out there playing for keeps.

    Reply
    • 

      Bigfoot

      August 3, 2012 at 11:43 am

      You nailed it about carrying with a CCW. I do carry when I can and these thoughts are always, always on my mind.

      Reply
13. 

    Mr. Twisted

    July 25, 2012 at 10:13 am

    A couple of notes, especially for the likes of B. Schen:

    1) Using the term “assault weapon” is utterly ridiculous for several reasons. Chief among them is that it has no definition. What, exactly, makes something an “assault weapon”? Under the 1994-2004 ban, the definitions used were purely cosmetic in nature and had nothing to do with the operating system of a weapon. This term was coined by the anti-gun crowd and, sadly, still permeates this conversation despite it having zero basis in any rational discourse.

    2) The Second Amendment is not about hunting. Embrace that truth and move on.

    Reply
14. 

    A Canadian Sheep

    July 25, 2012 at 10:20 pm

    Those of us north of the border don’t have the same passion for the 2nd amendment (obviously). And based on shallow, biased comparisons between our countries, one might assume that more gun control would make for less crime in your nation.

    I’ve struggled with this line of thought since the Aurora tragedy.

    Your article really opened my eyes – scared the crap out of me, to be honest, but opened my eyes nonetheless. Those who carry and are trained, careful and courageous truly can take a stand against this evil darkness. Those who argue for changes to the law and tag blame onto the latest trending topic on Twitter cannot.

    I’m not ready to head down to the local gun shop (well, we don’t really have those up here in any case). But I am ready to listen to my husband discuss his desire to carry without throwing up my fists in a raging hissy fit.

    Thank you. And I’m being completely genuine, in case that doesn’t come through via the web.

    Reply
15. 

    James

    July 26, 2012 at 8:26 pm

    I live in Australia. I have been forced by strict gun laws to be basically a sheep. I am a fully trained and qualified soldier, profficient in weapons use, but cannot carry a firearm in public.

    To own a weapon I must, apply for join a Gun Club, attend at least three basic weapons safety courses, purchase a weapons safe (which can be inspected at any time by law enforcement), apply for a criminal history check, get a shooters licence, then get a permit to purchase a fire arm. All that and I once I purchase the weapon, I must attend the range at least 6 times a year, and preferable compete in competitions! And as you would have noticed, owning a firearm then means that the Police have the right to random inspections of my storage facilities.

    Good luck keeping your rights, we lost ours!

    Reply
16. 

    Shane

    July 28, 2012 at 10:27 pm

    Very well said Joe. My thoughts totally. Me and a friend were just talking this week about how we’ve gotten lax w/ carrying our weapons everywhere we go. I’m not going to let me or my family become some wolfs next victim!

    Reply
17. 

    Ish

    August 1, 2012 at 10:55 am

    I may agree or disagree with what you are saying in your article Joe R.
    but I am pretty sure that Col. Grossman did not mean to include “legally carrying armed civilians with the proper mindset and training”.
    Now, I dont want to get in a discussion on whether it was meant to be included or not. It would be a discussion somewhat related to the interpretation of the 2nd amendment. But you should disclaim that the book you are refering to never makes any specific reference to “legally carrying armed civilians with the proper mindset and training”.

    Reply
    • 

      Dempsey Darrow

      August 7, 2012 at 4:25 pm

      Actually, that’s exactly what he meant. Read it for yourself:

      http://www.west-point.org/wp/wp-forum/OnSheepWolvesAndSheepdogs.html

      Dempsey Darrow
      USMA 1975, “Courage and Drive”
      CEO WP-ORG, Inc.

      Reply
18. 

    TonyG

    August 1, 2012 at 4:51 pm

    Great article!! Every point was touched on and enen the most liberal of gun haters would need to second guess what they are saying when it comes to controlling our guns. Bravo!

    Reply