Gun Control and the Tragedy at Fort Hood.
While reading my Twitter feed recently, I’ve noticed a few conversations going on about the tragedy at Fort Hood and how it can be used as an argument for more gun control legislation. The tweets talk about the argument that pro-NRA nut-jobs (like myself) give against gun control-which is basically that if more people carried guns, the crazies that snap and go on shooting sprees would be taken down faster-and how that argument is no longer valid because the tragedy at Fort Hood shows that even when everyone is carrying a weapon-like they do on army bases- a major nutcase can still kill a lot of people.
I would like to make/correct a few points:
1st: While Fort Hood is an army base, and most of the people who live and work there own and have access to fire arms, the majority of soldiers there don’t drag their long arms around with them everywhere they go on base. They only take them when doing training exercises or other things where having their rifles are needed. Rifles are heavy, and not something you want to lug around if you’re just going to the food court for a sandwich.
2nd: Walking around an army base is different than walking around in public, because it is a secure location with limited and controlled access. As a country existing in relative peace-time (I know we’re at war- but out physical territory isn’t under risk of attack from Mexican or Canadian armies). Our domestic army bases act mainly as training grounds and residences for families and service members either fighting overseas or waiting for deployment. Nobody’s trying to take over our forts anymore- like they did during for example the Civil War. Carrying weapons around everywhere you go on base, isn’t necessary or practical anymore.
3rd: What made Major Hasan’s attack so successful was
a. he shot up a place where most of the soldiers wouldn’t be carrying
b. Majors (and other officers) are issued handguns and not long arms like lower ranking soldiers (privates etc.), and nobody is going to question a Major for carrying a handgun.
c. He worked at Fort Hood, and could enter the base, armed, with no problem. If Major Hasan was just a civilian looking to shoot up the base, he would have been stopped and taken down by security before entering the base.
The killings at Fort Hood were horrible. Our army service people risk their lives overseas and should be able to be safe in the country they are serving. We should pray for the injured, the families of the slain, and that Major Assan gets his nads kicked in by a giant army ranger wearing steel toed boots.
We should also remember that this incident was EXTREMELY out of the ordinary and should have no place in the gun control arguments of the general public- no matter what side you’re on.
You ever accidentally hit the ‘find handset’ button on the main phone base, even though you know exactly where the phone is (in the farthest room from where you are), and you don’t really want to walk over there to get it, but you have to because it won’t stop beeping? that was pretty much my evening.
This woman walking down Broadway didn’t pick up her dog’s shit, so I started recording her. Then her dog shat again and she didn’t pick that one up either. I really hate it when people don’t pick up their dog’s shit. Seriously. My dog got whip-worms once from street shit.
May the Karma fairies cover your fancy shoes in dog shit on the way to your first date with a hot guy.
I had a crazy fracking day
It started with my husbands cat peeing on the couch (again)
Somewhere in the middle of the day I cleaned out Jim Carrol’s apartment
Then Cecil almost gets into a dog run rumble with an abandoned pitbull
Then a car crashed into the bus stop across the street.
And even with all that I met my nanowrimo goal of 10,000 words.
oy
