Can’t You Read The Sign?

Yet another murder in a “gun free zone,” and this time the victim is an American hero. Lt. Col. Brandon Shah survived combat in the Middle East, only to be shot by a jihadist who took advantage of the soft target created by politicians and ignored the laws they enacted in the name of “safety.”

The current geopolitical situation aside, the so-called “gun free zone” has failed so spectacularly, so many times, it is baffling how any reasonable person could possibly think they’re an effective means of preventing violence. Research has shown that the vast, vast majority of mass public shootings occur in locations where the general public is disarmed either by law or by policy.

The fact remains that the best antidote to a mass public shooter is shooting back. We know that whether it’s a psychotic spree killer who commits suicide at the first sign of resistance, or a committed jihadist who intends to fight to the death, armed resistance brought to bear as quickly as possible is the key to ending these attacks. Fortunately, the Old Dominion classroom full of college-age ROTC cadets did not let the lack of a proper defensive tool hold them back, and swarmed and killed the jihadi who had just murdered their teacher.

A sign on the door prevented nothing, and but for brave students armed with nothing more than a pocketknife, the killing would likely have been much, much worse. When will we really read the signs? Not the impotent sign on the door scolding us not to bring a gun inside, but the clear signs telling us that such measures are worse than useless, and need to be discarded. We must stop sacrificing good people like Lt. Col. Shah to feckless feel-good policy. Can’t you read the sign?