On reactions to a tragedy

I've already said this a few places but I think it bears repeating.

I realize that after anything bad happens, we immediately try to see what we can do to make ourselves think we can keep it from happening again. This is completely understandable, especially when we're close to the victims. We see these things as happening to ourselves and that brings it home.

Many on the left want more gun laws. Gun laws would not have prevented this. The guy knew how to make explosives. He did make explosives. Nothing stopped him from using homemade explosives to blow up the entire theater. There may be some things that would be a good idea, like more restrictions on online ammo purchases, better psychological screening, and so on.

Many on the right are saying there should be more CCW carriers. We're talking about a crowded theater, dark, full of panic, tear gas (with the assailant having the only gas mask), who the hell seriously thinks that would have worked? More people in the movie theater who carry would have just been more people shooting, more people getting shot, and probably innocent CCW carriers getting shot by cops. If anything, this is a case for wearing body armor all over the place. Or more realistically, being trained in combat or trauma first aid, and keeping some fairly comprehensive first aid kits nearby. Military dining facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan were often targeted by suicide attacks, as well as rocket and mortar attacks, so each dining facility had a number of serious mass casualty trauma and first aid kits. No reason not to do this at movie theaters, or anywhere else.

I've seen my fellow left-wing gun owners say we need better mental health care in the US. Well, us, in general that would be great, but it would not have stopped this. Better mental health screening wouldn't have helped, there was no real sign before this happened that it was going to happen. He didn't have a history of this like Jared Loughner, as far as we know. He seemed to be a brilliant scientist.

So what can be done about this, to keep it from ever happening again? Nothing. You won't stop spree killings from ever happening. They haven't stopped in the rest of the world. 2011 Liège attack in Belgium, the 2011 Norway attacks by Breivik, another 2011 spree in the Netherlands, a spree in 2010 in Slovakia, the Cumbria shootings in England in 2010, the 2009 Sello mall shooting in Finland, and the Wittenden school shootings in Germany.

These things happen. It's sad, it's tragic, but it happens. And it's more than just a spree shooting. A drunk driver on the highway could kill you in an instant. You could get fatal food poisoning at a restaurant. Or die in a heartbeat of blinding head pain from a brain aneurysm. Risk cannot ever be eradicated. Nothing is perfectly safe.

Very well said my friend.