I’d agree there was a good chance casualties would have been reduced. Rush into a crowded room shooting, and there’s a big difference if the attacker has to worry about getting shot in the back. Not to mention about being perforated while he is changing magazines.
I agree, but it’s really a statistics game. Given any number of armed people, a certain number of them, under fire, will turn out to not have what it takes. One of the advantages to having a society where people can choose to be armed is that it increases the chances that someone with the right mix of traits will rise to the occasion, with the tools at hand to accomplish what needs to be done.
A mistake much of the left makes is assuming those we pay to be professional protectors are any better than the rest of us when real bullets start flying. They are subject to the same psychology as the rest of us, and the same statistical gamble applies — they will just have somewhat better odds, having either thought about life and death situations to begin with, or having a military background, as many in law enforcement do. But there’s plenty of people out there who have the mental and psychological capacity to come out on top in a firefight, even without extensive training. A smart society doesn’t restrict their ability to have vital tools at hand. The more armed people that are about, the greater the likelihood that one of them will have the psychological makeup to prevail. A smart society will want to make the greatest number of sheepdogs, with as few wolves and sheep as possible. There will always be wolves, and there will always be sheep, but as long as there are many sheepdogs, polite society can flourish in safety. Perhaps too much safety.
UPDATE: More here.
It’s Mumbai.
Further to your point about relying on the professionals, InstaPundit linked this article about a photographer who was at the scene
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/article14086308.ece
“There were armed policemen hiding all around the station but none of them did anything,” he said. “At one point, I ran up to them and told them to use their weapons. I said, ‘Shoot them, they’re sitting ducks!’ but they just didn’t shoot back.”
Can’t help but notice the same responses from our own SWAT teams as they assemble, in their black costumes, and hide under cover “outside” Columbine and other shooting sights until the shooting stops.
Tons of bravado, a feather weight of guts.
Fixed the misspelling. Can’t we just call it Bombay?
Very well said.
Bombay is fine by me, and is actually what all my Indian relatives call it.
Look at what happened in the trolley square shooting a couple of years ago. After the off duty cop that was ccw’ing at dinner engaged the shooter, no one else was shot at until the police engaged him. His attention had to shift to the one instead of the many. That alone saved many lives that night.