So quite a few of my anti gun friends are sitting with smug looks on their faces in light of the terrible tragedy that took place in Aurora.  My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and families impacted.  This post is not to make light of what happened but rather to respond to all of the anti gun people who feel like this justifies them telling me the everyday citizen should not have the right to bear arms. 

I actually feel like this more so emphasizes the fact that places like movie theaters need to let CCP (concealed carry permit) holders like myself, legally carry in their establishments.  Had someone been concealed carrying this person would more than likely have gotten a rude awakening after the first or second shot.  Still not convinced? 

Let's take a look at 71 year old Samuel Williams who foiled an armed robbery attempt when he shot 2 armed robbers at an internet cafe just last week.  Or let's look at Aurora just earlier this yar when an off duty officer shot and killed a man who had just murdered a woman in the church's parking lot.  Because of his quick action, no one else was hurt.  In nearby Colorado Springs back in 2007, a woman CHP holder stopped an attempted massacre at a church by shooting the criminal after he had killed two people in the parking lot.  The badly wounded criminal, realizing he could not continue the massacre, killed himself.  In each case the carnage was limited by the immediate reaction of a gun owner on site.

A recent study of over 5000 news reports over an eight-year period showed that the mere presence of an armed citizen thwarts many crimes.  Of the 5,000 incidents reported between October 2003 and November 2011, 488 involved home burglaries along with another 1,227 incidents where intruders fled when confronted by armed inhabitants. Another 34 concerned pizza delivery drivers defending themselves, along with 172 animal attacks. Concerns about an attacker taking a gun away from an armed victim were proven invalid, with 227 incidents reported where the intended victim disarmed his attacker, while just 11 attackers disarmed his victim. Twenty-five rapes were avoided by armed victims. Two hundred and one attacks were neutralized by armed senior citizens.  Sixty-five carjackings were successfully ended by an armed citizen who used his weapon to defend himself. 

What bothers me most when the anti gun crowd cites stories like this in their defense is that they are lumping me in with crazy people like James Holmes and that's not fair nor is it an actual representation on the average gun owner.  Should there be something in place to prevent things like this from happening of course! Does it need to be as ludicrous as taking away my 2nd Amendment right?  Of course not!  Let's think before we speak people.  Don't make ignorant, over-arching, statements.  It's ridiculous and offensive regardless of the context.

Everyday I pray that I don't have to use my firearm and that will always be my prayer.  However, if the need arises I will be equipped to protect myself and my family because I strongly believe that it is not only my right but it's my responsibility to protect myself and even more than myself, my child.