The apologists for no-gun-control were out in force following the Las Vegas massacre.
- It’s not the right time to talk about laws.
- We offer our thoughts and prayers…
- It’s disrespectful to the victims to reconsider our current policy.
But the pitch for doing nothing about gun violence that made my blood boil was this one: everyone was responsible for their own safety when encountering crazies with automatic weapons.
What a crock!
I heard it at least twice in two days. A security consultant on the PBS News Hour and a Republican Senator.
The industry expert
Security expert Russ Simons of Venue Solutions Group said that the lesson of Las Vegas was that “all of us are personally responsible for our safely” on Monday’s PBS Newshour.
At events and when out and about, we should, he says, cultivate “situational awareness.” Pray, how does that apply to those in a city with tall buildings or at a crowded concert or ball game?
The public servant
Senator Thune (R-SD) said we should protect ourselves by “getting small”.
There’s no way to stop a mass shooting from happening in an “open society,” citizens’ best hope to avoid being violently killed is to … duck. “I think people are going to have to take steps in their own lives to take precautions to protect themselves. And in situations like that, you know, try to stay safe. As somebody said — get small.”
It passes all belief that a United States Senator thinks hunkering down in the face of machine gun fire from a 32 floor high perch is a solution to an attack.
I challenge both of these men to meet with the victims of Las Vegas and discuss with them how they could have taken “personal responsibility” for their safety.
Rather, it’s time to take measured steps to curtailing the availability of weapons of war to the public at large. That would be an exercise of collective responsibility.
