“It’s been nearly two years since a disturbed young man, Adam Lanza, opened fire at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., killing 20 young children and six adults,” the CBS Sunday morning report on the Newtown slaughter begins. “Some of the teachers are beginning to tell stories of what they heard and saw that day — and trying to make certain what happened in Newtown can’t happen elsewhere.” What follows what you’d expect: bloody shirt waving and the usual anti-NRA, pro-gun control propaganda. And then, at the end, this . . .
Pauley asked, “I’m going to ask the devil’s advocate question: Is there no one here that that day didn’t wish they had a gun?”
Becky Virgalla replied, “I did not even think of that.”
“Never thought of that,” said Wexler.
“No,” said Jacob. “And you know what? If there had been someone at the entrance to our school with a gun, they would’ve been dead, too. There’s a reason they call them assault weapons. It’s an impossible barrage to survive from. We survived because we were lucky and because he was stopped for whatever reason before he could do more damage.”
For whatever reason? Lanza was stopped by the sight of armed opposition coming to cap his ass. Common sense tells us that a bullet between his ears (or several center mass) at the onset of his attack would have been equally effective.
The truth is the Sandy Hook survivors don’t want to think of the possibility of an armed end to Lanza’s attack because then they’d have to accept the possibility that they could have done something effective to save 20 childrens’ lives.
Equally, those of us who understand the value of armed self-defense lobby for its adoption in schools because we don’t want any adult to have to face that question. You know, after the fact. [h/t CJ]