Today’s the one-year anniversary of the most recent terrorist attacks in Paris, including the Bataclan music venue. In that assault, the gunmen began the slaughter unopposed; not one audience member amongst the approximately 1500 ticket holders was armed in their own own defense. It took armed French police two hours and forty minutes to end the incident. But not before the Islamic terrorists murdered 89 concert goers and injured over 200 more, some grievously.
“Sarah Marrer, 18, from Lille, said it was important to ‘show that we’re not afraid’,” theguardian.com reports from the memorial concert marking the anniversary of the Bataclan bloodbath.. “’I think it’s important that every French person and everyone can come here and enjoy and show that it’s not over.’” And I think it’s important that we learn from our mistakes.
Gathering large numbers of people in a relatively small space without anyone having any effective means of self-defense — save running or playing dead — is an open invitation to those who want to kill us en masse. Instead of celebrating the fact that “we’re still here,” that “we’re not going to let terrorists spoil our fun,” we should be tooling-up and declaring “never again.” Never again will you find us easy prey. If you try and kill us we will kill you — as quickly as possible.
When did the idea that simply “carrying on” after terrorist carnage represents some kind of moral victory take root? What will it take to wake-up America to the danger we face — and eliminate the insanity of “gun free zones”? If Sandy Hook, Bataclan and the Pulse nightclub didn’t do it, what will? Take a minute to think about that, if you dare.