"Naked Archer Subdued By Kansas City Police!"

When I saw that headline on the Kansas City Star's website last week, my first thought was hey, I didn't know Sahib was in town!  Of course then I remembered that when Sahib cavorts unclothed with medieval weapons, he generally prefers the scimitar.  

So it seems this naked guy was roaming around a KC neighborhood carrying a bow and arrows.  Police arrived on the scene and observed the would be Robin Hood (actually, I'm not sure about that hood part...) "tossing food to imaginary animals", and then entering a house.  The man fired an arrow out the window of the house towards the officers, who immediately called in the tactical support pictured here.....

After an hour or so the man came outside, at which point he was summarily speared (Tasered actually) and taken into custody.  I have talked a lot about evil and its presence within our society over the last few days.  Evil is certainly out there folks, but so is crazy.  Be careful.  

Cinemark's No Gun Policy And The Aurora Shooting

In the wake of the Colorado theater shooting yesterday, there has been much analysis of motive, opportunity, pyschological make-up of the shooter, etc.  I will leave such topics to those more knowledgeable about them than I.  I'd like to talk about the Second Amendment, the value of concealed carry, and our inalienable right to self-defense.

The legal carry of concealed firearms is prohibited in Theater 9, as it is in all theaters operated by Cinemark.  It is known as a "gun-free zone".  I prefer the term "target-rich environment".   Cinemark has the absolute right to have this policy as a private business, but I believe that it may have cost some patrons their lives early Friday morning.  

There has been much discussion on a concealed carry forum that I frequent about this issue.  Some very knowledgeable and experienced folks there believe that even if 1 or more people in that theater had been legally carrying a firearm, stopping the shooter would have been a monumental task.  I agree.  His body armor, the darkness, smoke, and resulting chaos all combined to make for a very difficult defense scenario.  There was however, a short period of time when the shooter first entered the theater that most of the patrons believed it to be some sort of prank.  An armed and alert citizen with good situational awareness had the chance to confront the shooter and possibly avert disaster.  

Criminals are cowards, and James Holmes**  is no exception.  As meticulous as he apparently was in planning his crime, there's a reason he didn't go to an Aurora gun shop to commit multiple murder. As with all cowards, he took the path of least resistance, choosing a venue packed with people unable to defend themselves.  I believe that had an armed citizen returned fire on Mr. Holmes, his resolve would have evaporated like a drop of water in the Kansas City sun.  Lives would have been saved.  

** yeah, yeah, I know....allegedly**

Is it a sure thing that an armed citizen could have stopped the violence?  Of course not.  Maybe the chances would have been small, 10%, 20%, I don't know.  What I do know is that a theater full of unarmed people had 0% chance of protecting themselves and their loved ones.  12 dead and 58 wounded was the result.  

Remember, reports indicate that law enforcement arrived on the scene within 60-90 seconds.  They performed brilliantly, with courage and alacrity.  And still 12 people died.  If you are confronted with a violent criminal in your neighborhood today, do you think the police will arrive in 60 seconds?  If you do, I hope you have your affairs in order.