Image Credit: Associated Press

By James Peters

Two & Out

PETERS: ‘Good person with a gun’ theory didn’t work in Uvalde

Jun 10, 2022 | 10:54 AM

NEW INFORMATION THAT HAS EMERGED in the investigation into the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas is shocking to many Americans as it tears down one of the pillars on which United States gun culture is built.

While a gunman was inside the school, massacring young children, police stood and waited outside. It was more than an hour from the beginning of the attack and the time police entered and put the attack to an end.

One of the most often-used arguments in support of looser gun regulations is the “good person with a gun” argument.

That is, a good person with a gun is needed in order to stop a bad person with a gun.

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The news out of Uvalde punches a big, big hole in that argument.

Who are good people with guns if not police officers? And even they did not stop 19 children and two teachers from being killed.

The reasons officers took so long to do their jobs will come out in the days and weeks ahead. Certainly, everyone will concede mistakes were made, by both the officers on the ground and those who give the orders. With human beings involved, mistakes are always possible, in every situation.

Who would be the least likely to make mistakes in a mass shooting situation? One would think the answer is trained police officers.

But even if the police response was absolutely flawless — quick and precise — it would have been too late for some victims.

When it comes down to it, every person with a gun is a good person until they use the gun against another good person. Then they become a bad person with a gun — and by the time a good person with a gun arrives to save the day, it’s already too late.

A good person with a gun doesn’t prevent violence. They just respond too late.

The argument is moot in the United States anyway.

With the country’s ridiculously lax background checks and safety protocols around acquiring firearms, it’s silly to think the country even cares whether the person with the gun is good or bad.

They’re free — free to die and free to kill.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.