It is too early to be casting blame (that will come later) but, assuming the two young women shot earlier were taken by surprise, I am still trying to get my mind around how some 39 people, even if they were unarmed, basically allowed themselves to be shot by a man with two handguns.
Is this the result of all the conditioning we receive to just be nice to the deranged man with the gun and the police will be along shortly to straighten it all out and no one will get hurt?
That attitude allowed 3 of 4 hijacked airliners to be flown into the WTC and Pentagon without any effective resistance from the passengers. Today this. After 5 years, you would think people, especially young people, would be a little more aggressive in defending their lives. Instead, while the lone gunman is inside for hours shooting students and faculty, we get to see pictures of the police crouching behind cars and trees outside trying to figure out what is going on. Hell, even if the police charged in with guns blazing, it couldn’t have been much worse than this.
The scales have dropped from these eyes. Screw the “don’t be a hero, don’t make the situation worse” advice. Armed or not, rush the SOB and at least die with the knowledge you valued your life enough to fight for it when the time came.
< /rant>
Bravo! Well said! We have been teaching each other to obey and not do anything to cause the criminal to get upset. What BS! I have daughters, and I have taught them all to resist on the spot, to fight, to force the criminal to make his move where he doens’t want to make it. To be sure, the risks are high, but not nearly as high as they would be if he made you cooperate with his plan.
“I am still trying to get my mind around how some 39 people, even if they were unarmed, basically allowed themselves to be shot by a man with two handguns.”
My husband and I have been asking that very same thing all day. VT is one of only two land grant colleges that still has a Corps of Cadets. Hard to believe that no one stood up.
On the other hand, it’s easy to judge from my sofa.....
I am still trying to get my mind around how some 39 people, even if they were unarmed, basically allowed themselves to be shot by a man with two handguns.
***People panic in situations like this.