(Edited for factual info)
One fiend attacks a crowd and kills 50, wounds more. How was that possible in a state where concealed carry is legal and plenty of people go armed? Unfortunately, I see several contributing factors:
- Carry is only legal from age 21, I suspect quite a few law-abiding victims were under 21.
- It was a posted “gun-free” zone. Such places should be avoided, both to deny financial support to the proprietors and for safety.
- Seems the consensus is that carrying in a nightclub or a bar is not legal in Florida due to alcohol sales…even if the person carrying isn’t drinking.
The third possible reason is that this venue’s patrons might just be less likely to carry than the average person. That’s the factor that Pink Pistols has been trying to mitigate since 2000. Unfortunately, the closest chapter to Orlando is in Ft.Lauderdale. Now, Pink Pistols is not the only organization that provides training — there’s plenty of competent instructors who would train straight, gay, asexual or any other students, orientation being irrelevant to marksmanship. But Pink Pistols have provided the motivation to quite a few to do something about being a likely target for criminals.
As the events in Paris showed, being gay isn’t the only risk factor. This kind of attack may be aimed at the general population. Or at women only, as with the nutcase from Canada in the 90s. We can’t always predict who will go crazy and homicidal. We should learn self-defense and first medical aid to improve the chances of survival for ourselves and those near us.
