The Fruits of Columbine

There will be conspiracy theories. None of them are true. Nobody should be shocked that the school shooters, the mall shooters, the theater shooters, have graduated to higher value targets. It is a suicidal crime of supreme selfishness. We, as a nation, haven’t done a thing to address it since Columbine.

Republicans say handing out more guns is the answer. Yet all attendees to Trump’s rally went through metal detectors.

Why? It’s simple common sense. You never know if a guy with a gun is a “good” one or not. Until they pull the trigger.

The security likely operated on perimeters. Secret Service had the innermost. A mix of Secret Service and local local law enforcement had the middle. The outer perimeter, where the shooter fired from, was likely only watched by the local police.

Did they fail? There are some reports that officers tried to access the roof, had the rifle aimed at them mid-climb, and fell back. The shooter immediately opened fire after that.

Could be the sudden surprise is what threw the shot off those few inches. Could be the shooter was just a bad shot. Either way, there’s very little stopping this from happening again.

Cool the political rhetoric? Sure. That would be helpful for all Americans. It could also be harmful. It could place true threats above reproach. And it doesn’t matter to people intent on random acts of murder.

Counter snipers neutralized the kid within fractions of a second of shots being fired. That’s the way we’ve chosen to go. “Good guys” stopping the “bad guys.”

So this is an example of how that plays out. But the bad guy always has the advantage. Especially in a world where we accept that walking around in public with a firearm is somehow necessary or “normal” for everyone.

Shoot first and you’re just murdering someone for “exercising their rights.” Wait to shoot, and as long as they’re well-trained, you’re too late.

Sure, if the Secret Service had seen the guy lying on the roof with his rifle, we can only assume they’d have shot first. Did they hesitate or screw up?

Maybe. Maybe they zoomed in on that gangly kid’s youthful face and hesitated precisely because they were the good guys. Who knows.

All we’re going to truly find out is what path we choose to take. Are we shooting at each other next? That’s all up to you.