What is it with the media and armed self-defense? The suggestion that Americans shouldn’t be armed because they can’t handle combat is ridiculous. What’s the alternative (aside from less effective unarmed resistance)? Get slaughtered like sheep while waiting for the police to arrive…that’s the alternative. Here’s the thing: shooting someone is a relatively simple affair: draw, aim and shoot. What are the odds of being able to do so during the chaos and carnage of a terrorist attack? Again, who cares? Returning fire is never a bad idea in that situation – even if the innocent accidentally shoots an innocent or two. Did I just say that? Yes I did. But here’s what a combat vet has to say about the “myth” of “the good guy with a gun” . . .
There are groups of individuals, like me and my fellow Special Operators, both military and law enforcement, who train for years to be good at close quarters shooting: shooting with discernment, keeping your head clear and making snap decisions before you pull the trigger — all while being shot at by the enemy.
And after dedicating their lives to being good operators in those extreme circumstances, even those professionals make mistakes.
Then consider that people like us trained for firefights for years, and that in many states there is virtually no training required for someone to legally carry a loaded, hidden gun.
So think about 10 or 15 people, who are weekend shooters with limited tactical training, deciding to shoot it out with a criminal in a crowded office holiday party, a medical clinic or a darkened theater, while people are screaming and running, and no one knows who or how many of the people shooting are the “good guys” and how many of them are the “bad guys.”
In some cases, can a “good guy” with a gun neutralize the threat and help save lives? Absolutely. But it doesn’t happen very often. It is, for the most part, a myth perpetuated by people who’ve never been shot at.
For the most part, Senior Chief Petty Officer James Hatch (USN, Ret.) [above, left] is providing aid and comfort to the enemies of Americans’ natural, civil and Constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms. The member of Gabby Giffords’ and Mark Kelley’s Americans for Final Responsible Solutions knows full well his comments at usatoday.com promote gun control. This makes my stomach turn:
I am a proud Navy combat veteran. I risked and nearly gave my life in dozens of combat situations in defense of our Constitution. I value the Second Amendment and the right of responsible Americans to own guns for self-defense.
But people need to know that it is a fallacy to believe that the everyday gun owner can be expected to make all the right choices in a dangerous, fast-moving situation like a mass shooting with high-powered weapons.
When the bullets are flying, determining “who’s who in the zoo” is hard.
If the scenario that Sen. Cruz envisions were to ever unfold, we’d have a lot more dead innocents. And it would probably include some of the “good guys.”
One more time: so what?