Swickard column: Between the ears safety

© 2015 Michael Swickard, Ph.D.  "Safety is something that happens between your ears, not something you hold in your hands." Jeff Cooper
             As a nation we are collectively being intentionally stupid about the safety of our citizens for political reasons. Places where the military are not allowed a means to protect themselves are in the news, but for the wrong reason. The issue is not if individual military members are armed or not. It is that sign, Gun Free Zone, deliberately telling people of evil intent or mental illness that those people stand no chance against a gunman.
            Gun Free Zone signs say to some people that No One Can Shoot Back. Telling people of evil intent or mental illness that our military and school children have no means of defense is insane. It makes them targets while also not giving them a defense.
            The danger of attack in our society comes from two major groups: people of evil intent and people who are mentally ill. Our society is caught in a dilemma. We have plenty of laws against people taking guns to certain places. But they are just words and not actions. People prohibited from having guns get them anyway.
            We are told if all guns were banned in America there would be no guns on the street. That is beyond stupid. The reason five military servicemen were killed a week ago was they and everyone around them followed the law while the perpetrator did not.
            Remember that we made drugs illegal and yet illegal drugs are easily obtainable in every community. We arrest and incarcerate drug violators all of the time and still the drugs flood our towns. Having laws against guns does not and will not stop their use by criminals and people with mental illnesses.
            The only way to stop a person with a gun and murderous intent is someone else with a gun who will defend the defenseless. George Orwell wrote, "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
            We cannot reason with people of evil intent or mental illness, we must respond to force with force. The police cannot ever respond to violent attacks on our population in time to prevent them. They can end the carnage but precious minutes go by as they travel to the area where people are being attacked. The only logical answer is that some of the people be able to respond instantly.
            Now I do not want to see lots of open carry firearms because that means that the person who intends to defend the defenseless is apparent to someone of evil intent. Rather, I like conceal carry and making sure that someone coming to military facilities, public schools or churches does not know who may be packing.
            The defenders of Congress, the Supreme Court and the President of the United States work very hard at not disclosing their strategy for defense. It is multi-layered and robust. The primary defense of these people is between the ears and not in the hands.
            Let me ask you: is the President that much more important than a class of first graders in your local elementary school? Both the President and the innocent children deserve our best defense. But defending children has been hijacked by political operatives who wish to impose gun control on the population as a whole. They unintentionally sponsor domestic terrorism in our public schools by taking away all semblance of defense.
            Yes, the police can come within fifteen minutes and take a report but the need is for people to be armed and ready every second. Most of those armed and ready people will never be called upon because people of evil intent avoid places where those people will shoot back.
            That leaves the mentally ill who have watched hour after hour of coverage when someone shoots up a military facility or a public school. They may attack regardless of if there is a defense. Then the defense need to work and work very effectively.
            Our safety really does rest between the ears of our leaders. Only they can remove the Gun Free Zones and replace them with effective defensives.

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