As for the right to keep and bear vs being actually qualified to do so, I think I distinguished the difference and acknowledged both the comprehensive right of all law abiding citizens and the necessary desire that they be both willing and able to use the tool as intended.
Ben,
I value your opinion (and your service to our nation)as I know that it comes from an informed point of view.
A common theme that I'm picking up on in a lot of folks postings is that I am perceived as advocating for taking away everyone's guns.
That's a response I pretty much expected when I first posted (and voluntarily put the target on my head).
On my first post on this subject I stated out that gun control is not a black/white, either/or proposistion.
Gun control is not anti-gun.
I simply want people to stop and think. Not react to the emotion of the moment, or some romantic image of the past or movies in deciding public policy.
If there are going to be new or amended concealed carry laws, they must be very carefully thought out, made stringent as hell, based on need and competency and not on preventing VT from happening again.
To pass/amend laws for the purpose of preventing another VT is to base those on the raw emotion of the moment which is never wise in the long run.
We as a nation have elections coming up. Both sides will be flashing images of VT on the TV to bolster their position and demonize their opponent.
There is a reasonable middle ground for all of us. That is what I want people to think about. We do not have to allow ourselves to get sucked into the polarized "if you're not with me, then you're against me" trap.
Nowhere have I advocated taking away people's guns. I have advocated for reasoned thought in gun policy.
For those that have cited law enforcement statistics for supporting concealed carry, I always defer to hard data. If the current local laws are stringent enough to ensure public safety and the data backs that up, then let the laws stand. I can have no reasonable arguement against that.
I will vehemently argue against weakening those laws or starting to broaden the scope of CCW laws in hopes of preventing VT in the future (that again is emotionally reactionary and will be coming to a legislature near you soon).
The voice in the wilderness; it's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it.
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