I’m sorry Dave, but as someone who has written about concealed carry–here at Pajamas Media, as a mater of fact–you have made inferences in this article that are simply not based in fact.
People who are licensed to carry a concealed firearm are extremely concerned about their use, as in most states with “shall issue” permits, candidates are required to take hours of classroom instruction before they can even apply for a permit. By the end of the class, they will know more about the specific laws than most police officers. As a result, they know that every bullet fired has a lawyer attached. That is a far cry from the concerns of a thug, who has no similar restrictions.
It is a statistical fact that an increase in the licensed carrying of concealed firearms has led to a drop in violent crime, a fact you would obscure by making the absurd argument that because a felon used a gun against police, that restricting law abiding citizens is the answer. The same “logic” would dictate that if your house burned down because of an arsonist, that you should ban the sale of lighters for everyone else. Your argument is illogical, and based on fear and ignorance.
And while I hate to correct your memory of Deputy Powell, he was not, by any stretch of the imagination, “required to be an expert with firearms of every description.”
If he is a typical officer, he was responsible for becoming proficient with his own duty weapon and perhaps one or two other department-issued firearms, and proficiency is a far cry from becoming anything like an expert. I suspect that you are a proficient driver of automobiles, but you aren’t ready to step behind the wheel of a race car. Likewise, police are required to meet minimum standards, and the overwhelming majority are not anything like an expert. Many civilians who carry concealed weapons are far more proficient.
Pizza Hut is within it’s legal rights to require their employees be unarmed, a fact now widely know. Continue to order from them, knowing that they cannot defend themselves.
Hopefully, those thugs who target these drivers who work for minimum wage and tips won’t bother to assault them on your manicured lawn.
