Oh dear dear.  Becoming more confused as the night goes on, are we?  Surely you know by now that when concealed carry became the rule in Florida, their crime rate dropped through the floor, just like old Frank Bifano at Tiff's Tap.  Of course in Illinois, there's no concealed carry, so the criminals run wild. Now you spend the rest of the night doing a little research on your Dell.  This will make sense to you soon. 

Fact is of course, that this Colorado nut would have gotten his hands on a gun one way or another. 

Of course he would.   We've made so easy.

Good morning Mallory.

I will be deliberately serious for a spell. Please forgive all my gramatical errors and such too.

I tend to agree with you on some issues and am happy to be among others especially another woman here that seems to be objective and compassionate. Aside of the tragedy and gut wrenching chaos that always follows such a RARE and horrific event as this. There is always this seemingly knee-jerk response from all sides. We were brought up with the notion that God has given each of us this sense of self defense and will to live. To live as our founders intended, free from tyranny and oppression. Free to pursue happiness and prosperity. Free from attack within our homes and public places. The problem with this freedom is that by no means is it a guarantee of protection from those who would do us harm, no matter what the location. Protection--- by the law or leaders?  It is without that guarantee that we are able to try and protect our families lives and properties whether we are in our beds or our church. In our yards or theaters. They  knew this when they wrote the 2nd Amendment and the supreme court agrees. They framed a bill of rights/ constitution that was to be heralded as the end all of decrees for a new nation that would become a shining example to all, especially the people hoping to come to these United States. 27 times we decided it needed amending and with good cause for most of them. Women's rights, equal/civil rights and on it went. Ideas changed over the past couple hundred years to be sure.  We could drink. then we couldn't then we could. Elvis Presley gave some of us goosebumps and others a head ache. Kennedy turned the heads of almost every man hat-less in public. No man is an island------These values we know as our own, yours, mine, every other red blooded American, are to be inalienable and eternal for this nation of a free and self defended people. I was raised that way-- as were our children and a few hundred millions more. It's a horrible thing as are all such senseless and brutal acts against each other. It's true that this NUT shouldn't have had any guns and so the same can be said of every other NUT in this world with a snifter and car keys. All the screaming, crying, hand wrenching nor legislating in the world, will ever stop those determined to violate the laws, the common decency we all know we should have toward each other. No amount of limits of ammunition, safety locking devices, or weapons will EVER keep those bent on terror or murder from doing these dastardly things.

We watched the news all day and felt ill at almost every new report. But with God as my witness, i can tell you with all my heart, that if we decide to weaken the paths to self defense, guys like this will have an even easier time acting out their wills. I understand the outrage regarding things we disagree with and or would never do especially to our own much less another human being. But trust me now----I don't care who he or she is, should any legislator move to further eliminate or limit my right to possess and bare arms OR yours---- should you so choose to or not, that is a direct violation of the sacred constitution that holds this nation together. Who hasn't wondered if only this had or hadn't happened? What would have been then??? Doesn't matter then and by that measure, how then do we know he wouldn't have driven his car into the waiting to enter crowd, killing and maiming even more people. We don't---- but every day that's the chance we take and the price we pay as a free people with equal protection had we really had it. The law is a reactionary force and by no means are they required to protect you or me but society as a whole. They can only go so far and that means the majority of the time we are on our own and I'll take that measure every time, and refuse to let a small number take that right away. If the law can guarantee my safety and yours----- by all mean come get em. we don't hunt------- so since the law has finally got the power and means to protect each and every one of us then here they are, have at em. But it's not the case, and the world we live in is more evil and uncertain than it's ever been. Weapons are all around us in many many forms without one bullet. Hell that ssssiicko ssscummm could have just as easily and effectively sprayed the crowd with some highly combustible and lit it. The means isn't our problem as much as how we don't see these sickies right before our eyes. We learned in college the good ole days, about social behavior and recognizing the signs of psychosis and disassociative disorder. Look at the countless ways a seriously deranged soul could harm or kill hundreds or thousands of peopl without firing a shot or alarming anyone until it's too late.  I/m so sorry to disagree with the idea that taking away or limiting the power, use and amounts of personal defense weapons, will somehow make us safe or even slightly safer. Death is death regardless of the form it comes in.  If it means that I have to give over more power to the riff raff that wouldn't give me one second to pray before he stabbed, clubbed, or shot me to death for no reason at all, because some random killer wanted his 15 minutes, knowing I had no means to shoot his slimy butt  first---- then I'd rather just give up and hide in the cellar until the end.

No Mallory, we cannot let the few who would do us harm or kill us have the last word. Criminals don't care about the law and in most cases none of us either, and in some cases-- not even the lives of their own children mean anything. look at the ongoing case --back in Iowa right now. Take all these tragic events where so many kids have been swept off the streets or beaten and shaken to death, and you have so many pointless shameful deaths that total un-imaginable numbers without so much as one bullet. Sadly we just can't know what, who, when how or why these things happen, but to take our right to walk out of our homes and into town with only a tiny force of police to protect us isn't wise by any means and in fact it should be-- that everyone deemed sane should be walking with the same force of protection the criminals have to atack us, and they should be warned. All the time we hear about the gunless nations of France, Germany, England, Japan and many others but they seem to forget to mention that the rates of violent crimes are always getting higher and more deadly. But they never say a word about the Swiss. Why, well it's simple, everyone is armed and the crime rate is about the lowest on earth.

It's oh so late and I'm sorry to go on so-- but I see this as a bad omen for all of us.