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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Robert B. Smith: Rationality should guide firearms measures

Robert B. Smith

We “need to do something” about school shootings! We need “gun control”! What to do? I am a 30-plus-years civilian/law enforcement trainer who also does expert witness testimony in use of force cases. I have extensive knowledge and experience when it comes to firearms. I say this because while we may all have an opinion on this subject, I offer an informed opinion when it comes to firearms and related security.

I have also been a professional firefighter/paramedic for 38 years. As a trainer in in first aid and CPR over those years I found many parallels in training people to protect themselves in both arenas.

Teaching citizen CPR, first aid, use of fire extinguishers, etc., is an accepted norm for citizens. Why? Response times. It takes time to get to the scene of an emergency. It is well known that survivability of patients is dramatically increased when people already on the scene are “doing something,” such as CPR or controlling bleeding. This fact is irrefutable. Remember, when seconds count, we (cop or firefighter) are just minutes away.

If we teach the use of a gun as analogous to a fire extinguisher or first aid kit, then we see why a citizen can “hold the line/do something” until the police arrive. Whether a medical emergency or you face an immediate threat, the principle is the same. You are on your own and must rely on yourself to protect you and yours until we get there. This is life or death. This cannot be delegated. You have seconds to act decisively. There are not enough cops or medics to protect everyone all the time.

Security measures are multifaceted. A gun may play a role in security planning and that decision should be up to the potential victim, not a bureaucrat who usually has no knowledge of the topic. This is America and we make choices, especially when it comes to decisions related to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. If we lose life then the rest is moot, no matter someone else’s “good intentions.”

Cops wants to stop bad guys, of course, but most responses are after the fact. There are bad people out there. We have cops because use of force by them against violent actors is what they train for. That is why it is called a Police Force, not Fluffy Police. As we saw in the recent Florida school event, police performance doesn’t always work out as hoped, or as is “sold” to the public. YOU are your own first line of defense. This is just the nature of the beast.

We have opened Pandora’s box in making schools and other public venues “gun free zones.” This is a magnet for mentally ill people with violent thoughts. Such criminals who lived have told us as much, that they picked “gun free zones” over places with obvious security because they would face no opposition. There was a bank robber in the 1930s named Willie Sutton who was asked why he robbed banks. His response was reported to have been, “Because that is where the money is.” He later said, “it made common sense.”

All these “gun free zones” defy common sense. This concept is relatively new in America. It is time to quit this failed social experiment that is costing kids/teachers and other citizens their lives and allow those who are willing and capable to be armed discreetly so that they can do something to deter an attack. This has already been proven to work in many instances in American schools and churches but goes unreported by the general media as a rule.

It is a person’s life at risk and it is rightfully their choice in how they protect it and others under their mantle of protection. The right to keep and bear arms precedes the Constitution and Bill of Rights. That right is not granted by or dependent upon those documents. That right is reaffirmed as a natural/God-given right in those documents. Millions of citizens are already carrying guns judiciously now, with lives saved, and it is time to stop infringing upon their fundamental rights with the tragic and predictable consequences of that infringement.

Unless we can do away with emotional histrionics and rationally discuss genuine security measures including the role firearms play, we will see more security failures and loss of innocent life.

Robert Smith is a court-recognized expert witness on the use of force. He lives in Hayden, Idaho.