Republicans and the National Rifle Association (NRA) say the answer to our epidemic of gun violence is more guns, but what does it actually look like when everyone is carrying a gun?
A man opened fire at a Wal-Mart in Thornton, Colorado on Wednesday of this week, but even though your typical Wal-Mart is lined with security cameras, authorities had difficulty identifying a suspect because there were so many potential suspects who pulled out a gun.
It took more than five hours to identify the suspect, 47-year-old Scott Ostrem, who is accused in the seemingly random shootings. The problem for investigators came when they reviewed the surveillance footage and had to follow each individual with a firearm until they could eliminate them as a suspect.
“Once the building was safe enough to get into it, we started reviewing that (surveillance video) as quickly as we could,” Avila said. “That’s when we started noticing” that a number of individuals had pulled weapons. “At that point, as soon as you see that, that’s the one you try to trace through the store, only to maybe find out that’s not him, and we’re back to ground zero again, starting to look again. That’s what led to the extended time.”
I'm pessimistic when it comes American gun culture so I don't expect this will give anyone enough pause to reconsider their position on the proliferation of guns.
On the contrary, I wouldn't be surprised if this prompted some local jackass lawmakers to write a bill prohibiting authorities from questioning someone just because they have a gun.
Thankfully, none of the people who pulled out a gun in the Thornton Wal-Mart started shooting, but that's bound to happen at some point, isn't it? One of these days we're all going to read a story about a cross-fire in the frozen food aisle. It's going to happen.