This is not a gun control issue.

Aurora.

I found out about it later than others because I spent a few days off the medias this week, so when I found out about I'm hearing more reactions to the even than actual  news. If you've also spent time away from news, the issue is that some batshit crazy dude walked into a theater and killed people. That's it.

The reactions I've seen.... If those people were carrying this would have turned out different, says some jackass full of bravado, without thinking that only someone trained in how to react in that situation had any chance of protecting themselves; without thinking how badly this is belittling the tragedy that happened here.

Let's think about this idea for a second. If people are carrying they could defend themselves. If people only started to feel like this was the Old West, like they were in danger every minute of their lives and had to carry a weapon just to survive, then they could have defended themselves. Because if carrying could save you, you only have yourself to blame if you don't have the gun when needed, right? That means it's your fault if something bad happens because you hadn't prepared.

This is not a sane way to live.

And even if they WERE carrying, even if it was the Old West mentality, go look up how many police officers (with more training than most average citizens, I would hope) freeze the first time they actually have to shoot a person. Go look up how many bullets actually hit the target when the target breathes and how many hit the surrounding landscape (or in this case, hit people in other rooms).

This is not a solution and it's ridiculous to pretend that it is.

On the other hand, since said gunman had legally purchased the several (yes, several) guns he used in the attack, people are already arguing for stricter gun control laws using this as an excuse. If only we, as a society, had passed stricter regulations, this wouldn't have happened. Once more belittling the tragedy of a batshit crazy dude walking into a theater and killing people. Here we're calling it a learning experience. See what happens when you don't do what mommy and daddy say? You get hurt.

As if guns are necessary when people decide they want to kill others. As if they can prove he wouldn't have chosen another method if guns weren't easily available. As if planes are actually safer now that I can't carry a pair of scissors to go with my knitting.

There are times in life when you can say, 'this fucking sucks.' Where we don't try to point a finger here or there or use it to further our own political agenda.

This sucks.

That man was batshit insane and there is no excuse for what he did.

The police were there in 90 seconds. They kicked ass! I didn't see anything in the news about people trampling each other trying to get away. This is a big wrong thing that happened. It cannot be fixed, can only be lived with. We can offer medical assistance and trauma counseling to the survivors. We can help after the fact, but pointing fingers is not helping. Saying that our gun control laws are not good enough is not helping.

This was a crazy man doing a bad thing. Help or get out of the way.