American College Shooting, rinse repeat

SteveS

Lemming wrote:

Not really MM. Assuming of course the reports are accurate about the carrier being an off-duty cop, the key word to note here is "cop". Not joe bloggs who spent an hour at a gun safety induction after getting a pistol for Christmas.

I'd rather that if you are going to have people carrying, that they have actually had formal, credible training in some sort of state defense force, be it police or military. The thought of making a case that *anybody* carrying a concealed firearm as being a good thing strikes me as pure insanity.

I can't speak for all states, but here in MI, there is a training requirement. I am a part-time instructor for the course and it is approximately 8 hours, with 3 hours of range time. It is fairly basic, but when I follow up with students, I find that many have gone on for more advanced training or practice very frequently.

Contrast this with police. I don't mean to bash them, but unless they have an outside interest in guns, they may not have as much training as you think. The requirements vary greatly, depending on where they are from and what their job is. I know some SWAT guys that train all the time. I also know some other patrolmen that only shoot their guns a few times a year. Many police agencies also send their cops to 'civilian' schools and academies.

Lemming wrote:

And they were right. Where does it end? You create an arms race. With beaucoup paranoia mixed in as well. And that is just b.e.g.g.i.n.g. for extremely tragic consequences. Nut job packs a hand gun. So paranoid joe-soap packs a hand gun. Nut job packs a bigger gun, so double-plus paranoid joe-soap packs body armour. Nut job packs armour-piercing rounds, so triple-plus paranoid scared sh*tless joe-soap walks down the street pointing guns at every passer by who stops them to ask the time. Nut job steals a tank. Clinically insane joe-soap becomes nut job and shoots girl guides calling door-to-door to sell cookiees for fund-raising trip.

Granted, extremely dramatic, but I trust the point is made. Where does it stop if you answer guns with guns?

I just don't see this happening. Criminals and 'nut-jobs' don't appear to be all that cutting edge. Most gun murders are done with cheap, older guns. .22's are responsible for more deaths than any other caliber, so the bigger gun argument does not appear to be valid. AP rounds are already illegal and I can't find any instance where they were used by criminals.