Where were the heroes?

Where were the heroes recently when a madman entered Platte Canyon High School and took helpless children hostage? I can tell you where they were not: they were not within one thousand feet of any elementary, middle, or high school property. Why? Because heroes are the some of the most lawful citizens amongst us and they recognize that every law, good or bad, should be followed.

All public, parochial, and private elementary, middle, and high schools fall under the Gun Free School Zones Act of 1990. In general, this law prohibits law abiding citizens such as principals, teachers, volunteer parents and grandparents, and even off-duty law enforcement officers, from protecting our children while at school. Hardworking, trustworthy, respectful citizens such as you are prohibited from lawfully carrying a firearm for protective purposes within one thousand feet of school property.

But wait, didn’t the suicidal murders entering Columbine or Platte Canyon realize that by violating the Gun Free School Zone Act they faced fines up to five thousand dollars, and being imprisoned up to five years? Would any law stop a merciless monster or terrorist that was planning to torture, rape, or slaughter children? The answer is a resounding NO!

The Muslim terrorists who massacred one hundred and eighty six children in Belsan, Russia; the murders at Columbine, and Platte Canyon, all have common characteristics. They disobeyed all laws, their mission was to kill children, and their final act was to commit suicide. We are crazy to believe that a fine and some prison time would have stopped these monsters.

Our elected officials suffer from what Nobel Prize Economist Friedrich Hayek referred to as a “fatal conceit.” In the case of the Gun Free School Zone Act, “fatal conceit” is not metaphoric, but quite literally fatal for our school children. Elected officials believe they can change our world and make everyone safe with their God-like pronouncements. I guess if those laws make us “feel safe” and help them win an election, it’s OK, right? Wrong!

Criminals are not of sound mind, but that does not mean they are unintelligent. Perhaps Cesare Beccaria, the father of modern criminology often quoted by John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, said it best: "An unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man." Human nature has not changed and we are fools to believe otherwise.

Wake up America…in the hands of law abiding citizens, guns save lives. One hero, with one lawfully carried firearm, could have saved the precious life of 16-year-old Emily Keyes yesterday.

Want to chat with the author about your views? Meet him this Saturday at Casa De Nutz and Crackerz!
Learn More about Virginia's gun laws HERE