What does Ft. Hood prove?

Last weeks’ shooting at Ft. Hood is, like most other shootings of this type, going to be latched onto by both sides of the gun debate. I can hear the Brady Campaign right now. “These were trained soldiers blah, blah, blah. If they couldn’t stop this man, what makes you think you could?”

Leave it to the Brady Bunch to not understand reality.

Having served in the military, I’m going to clue you in on something you may not have known. Military bases are huge “gun free” zones. Yeah, ironic isn’t it? But it’s true. While those who live in base housing may keep firearms in their homes, those in the barracks must leave theirs with an armorer or the MPs. Not only that, but regardless of civilian regulations, you can’t carry your private weapon on board base.

Now, many may be wondering why would that matter?  After all, the military isn’t exactly lacking in their own weapons.  That’s true.  They have tons of weapons.  They sit in warehouses similar to on here at MCLB Albany.  That’s right, most troops don’t carry guns.  What’s funny is how in Iraq or Afghanistan, they’re required to have a weapon everywhere they go, but aren’t allowed to carry anywhere here on base stateside.

Now, I’ve heard some people talk about how there had to be such tight security at this place when Major Hasan decided to kill.  I’m going to call BULL on that one.  Why?  This was a readiness center.  They were getting physicals, etc.  While there may be an MP present, it’s not likely.  After all, this is a low-risk center.  There wasn’t classified information that some enemy would want to get their hands on, unless some enemy wants to see if Private Jones got all their shots.

This wasn’t the kind of place the military would have devoted a lot of resources to prior to that day.  Hasan knew that.  As a psychiatrist, his ties to fellow medical officers would have yielded him some undestanding of what the place was and what kind of resources where in place.  Make no mistake, he made his choice of target carefully.  A lot of people and no weapons.  Sounds a lot like many shopping malls that have been the target of active shooters in the past.

While the enemies of the Second Amendment may well argue that Ft. Hood proves their point, they are oblivious to reality.  Instead, Ft. Hood proves that the evil of the world only needs opportunity to sink it’s talons into our hearts and create a tragedy like the one in Texas.  Large numbers of people who are required to be unarmed is simply a way to give evil that opportunity.

Me?  I intend to carry.  I encourage others to as well, especially here in Albany, and get trained in the proper use of firearms.  While we haven’t had an active shooter incident, and I pray we never do, evil has many faces.  It is up to regular folks like you and me to be prepared to face evil.  If enough of us do that, then the chances we will need to will actually decrease. 

What does Ft. Hood prove?  That evil is everywhere and will strike if given the opportunity.  Now, I won’t say that in every instance an armed person would stop the situation.  But it increases the odds in the good guy’s favor, and if we increase the odds enough, we win without ever firing a shot.

And I think we all want that.