Guest Editorial
By michael martin | October 7, 2015
Understanding school shootings – the facts and a solution
The United States Concealed Carry Association (USCCA) sends our prayers and support to those impacted by the tragic events that took place at Umpqua Community College.
The senseless act of violence that took place in Oregon and the several that have taken place in recent years have consistently sparked and fueled a number of anti-gun political campaigns that have yet to result in a positive solution to our country’s problem.
Concealed Carry Magazine Executive Editor Kevin Michalowski noted that “we firmly believe the right to self-defense and the ability to immediately fight back against evil should never be taken away from law-abiding citizens. Too many times, human predators have attacked in gun-free zones and too many times, law-abiding citizens have been left defenseless. It is time we accept the personal responsibility for our own defense.”
USCCA Chief Instructor, Michael Martin, also commented on the incident:
Another school shooting. Another search for answers. Beyond the horrible images and the same rhetoric from Washington D.C., the Umpqua Community College shooting has one more thing in common with Sandy Hook, Aurora, Virginia Tech, Fort Hood and other mass shootings. Nine minutes. That’s how long the gunman had alone with his victims in the “gun-free” zone of Umpqua.
It was all of these historic events that motivated Martin to search for a solution—a solution that may have prevented yesterday’s incident.
Following his research, Martin published his findings in his report, “Inside School Shootings: What We Have Learned.” In his detailed report, Martin covers topics such as gun-free zones, magazine capacity, background checks and victim response.
Martin states:
Nine minutes. That’s how long the gunman had alone with his victims in the “gun-free” zone of Umpqua. This falls right in the heart of the average duration for mass shootings across the U.S., which is exactly 9.6 minutes; what does that 9.6 minutes tell us? It tells us that the shooter’s rate of fire doesn’t matter. It tells us that his choice of firearm make, model, or magazine capacity doesn’t matter. AR-15 versus lever-action rifle, 30-round magazines versus 5-round magazine, the make, model, or magazine capacity doesn’t matter, but 9.6 minutes sure does.
Background checks have been hailed as the universal answer to ending these shootings. As of August 2015, universal background checks are now the law of the land in Oregon, yet that law did nothing to stop this tragedy, nor would it have kept firearms out of the hands of any of the other most notorious mass shooters. So what, if anything, should change?
In his report, Martin includes a “Four Point Plan” that can be applied in our nation’s schools and colleges to create environments that give our students a fighting chance.
Martin adds to his solution:
Like most other mass shooting locations, Umpqua Community College was a “gun-free zone.” That phrase would be laughable if it weren’t the cause of so many tragedies. Disarmed by public policy, the outcome at Umpqua didn’t have to be a foregone conclusion, since the state of Oregon enjoys one of the highest rates of concealed carry permits per capita, with 6.3 percent of all eligible adults receiving a permit. With nearly 14,000 students registered at Umpqua and an average student age of 38, there was an opportunity to have more than 800 students and staff members on campus capable of defending themselves and their peers, and instead, the only armed individual on campus was the shooter. Today, most of our nation’s schools all carry that same virtual blinking neon light stating, “No one here will stop you.” Allowing students and staff to be armed simply provides them with the same protection on campus that they enjoy off campus, and the simple fact that the “gun-free zone” signs are removed will deter the next deranged individual who is angry at the world and who is looking to take out his rage on innocent and unarmed victims.
While Martin’s solution does involve arming educators, he also promotes an armed student body while many detractors to his solution claim that may create an uncomfortable environment for those students who are unarmed.
To those detractors, Martin asks the following question:
As an Oregonian, are you uncomfortable when you relax at Starbucks enjoying your favorite latte, or when you browse the aisles at Target? While you might not know it, one out of every 16 adults around you has a concealed carry permit. If a mass shooting erupted around you, what would you hope for? Would you pray that the shooter only had 10-round magazines rather than 30-round magazines, or would you hope beyond hope that one or more of the 200,000 licensed Oregonians was by your side while you waited the nine minutes for the police to make entry?
To read Michael Martin’s full report, “Inside School Shootings: What We Have Learned,” visit https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/inside-school-shootings-learned/.
