On March 30th, 1981 President Reagan was shot in an assassination attempt by John Hinckley, Jr. just short of 70 days into his administration. Three others were wounded as well, including press secretary James Brady. Three decades later Brady would die from complications of his wounds. I've always wondered why gun enthusiasts claim that arming good guys is the only way to stop bad guys from killing people. After all the clarion call has always been, "Guns don't kill people, people kill people." What I find amazing is here is an instance where a sitting POTUS, surrounded by highly trained and armed secret service personnel, was not able to avoid being shot with three others. There was no doubt Reagan was surrounded by a small army of armed 'good guys,' including local police and was not able to avoid being shot by an individual who was not trained in the usage of firearms. As far as I'm concerned, that 'good guy with a gun' argument falls apart irrevocably with, not only this instance, but many more that have the same circumstances.
Now we see the governor of Mississippi signing into law a bill that is based entirely on that canard about "good guys with guns:"
"The Church Protection Act, as sent to [Mississippi Gov. Bryant's] desk, allows individuals selected by the church's governing body to carry weapons into the church for protection purposes. It also does not require people to have a permit to carry a holstered weapon."
Naturally the bill's proposal was, according to its sponsor, in response to the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston, South Carolina shooting spree in June of 2015 that killed nine. Republican State Representative Andy Gipson makes it clear Churches needed to arm themselves for protection against future incidents like those in Charleston, SC.
It seems to me the only way to stop such incidents of "bad guys with guns" is to be mind readers as well to quickly figure out who "the bad guy is" and not be surprised when a gun is produced and the shooting starts. Unfortunately for State Representative Andy Gipson I don't think there is a bill that will fill that requirement.
As one might expect the bill wasn't met with universal approval, especially by those that will be most affected by this urban myth of 'good guys with guns:"
Those opposing the bill, including the Mississippi Association of Police Chiefs, have argued that it removes important restrictions on who may obtain a permit."This bill would put law-enforcement officers and all Mississippians directly in harm’s way," Ken Winter, the group's executive director, said in February.
What's interesting is the Mississippi Association of Police Chiefs is all a bunch of "good guys with guns" and they don't seem very happy about this legislation. I mean, after all, who wants hear from a bunch of people who have direct experience with people who shouldn't be allowed with a permit in the first place? Right?
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