The sad news is that yet another church attack took place this week and that two parishioners were killed. The good news is that the people stood up for themselves and others. Some say guns do not belong in church, yet the bad guys do not seem to care or read the signs. What a surprise,
Good for those that stand up for themselves. Still some say disarm the people and depend on the police. Unfortunately, because as good and dedicated as the police are, they take time to get there.
Signs or laws do not seem to stop criminals. We should all know this as the word criminal denotes someone who does not obey the laws. In the past these outlaws were dealt with quickly and decisively but not today.
In the past, there did not seem to be many repeat offenders, today almost all the bad guys have a record yet somehow, they are still out on the streets. People are arrested several times and do not serve any time, there seems to be no punishment just a record, whatever happen to work programs for convicts? Or programs that trained people for jobs?
The lesson in all this is there are bad people out there and there are more of them on the streets today so people need to protect themselves until the police can get there. There are more bad people today because we do nothing to deter their repeated bad behavior. Police cannot be everywhere and it takes time to get anywhere. Additionally, police are geared to responding and apprehension not prevention. Some might say they prevent crime and that is very true when they are present but as said, they cannot be everywhere all the time.
Luckily the people in the church took steps to protect themselves and their guests attending by arming and training people who are willing to be the front line of defense. This also illustrates the importance of defending yourself and your loved ones until the police can arrive. A big deal was being made that the protector was a gun instructor, which seemed to infer that he was specially prepared for this situation, partially true but any citizen at least in Nevada who receives a concealed carry permit is trained.
The conceal and carry courses are a good starting ground for average people who do not hunt or are not familiar with firearms. Yes, regular additional training is a great idea and should be part of any program and part of any concealed permit holder renewal program.
In Mesquite at least one church has such a program staffed by volunteers and it includes regular practice sessions and training. These guardians provide security and peace of mind for those attending services who do not or cannot protect themselves.
Two of these shootings occurred in Texas so some might ask why Mesquite? Because evil is everywhere and some people do not think straight. Yet even the most depraved can sometimes be detoured or dealt with. The name of the church mentioned above is not given unless someone requests that name so they can help in establish their own Guardians.
By hardening our targets, we hope someone will think again before attacking, if not they will not be put on the streets again. We pray for peace as we protect ourselves and others.
Mike, Would you please share the data you used to make the statement “In the past, there did not seem to be many repeat offenders, (sic) today almost all the bad guys have a record …”? The U.S. has the highest incarceration rate of 716 per 100,000 citizens (2015). This is up 500% over the last 40 years. It is reported that changes in laws and policy have accounted for the increase, not any increase in crime rates. More convictees are being sent to jail and for longer sentences. This would seem to contradict what you write. There is one study that shows 45% (not “almost all”) of federal prisoners are repeat offenders within five years of their last incarceration. There is a Bureau of Justice study that says 77% are rearrested within five years, but this study is simply arrests and does not include mistaken arrests, acquittals, etc. I’m interested and would like to be better informed on this if you are citing accurate sources. Thanks.
I agree with you about the statement that evil is everywhere and that some people are not in their right mind.
I surely agree that those qualified and trained should be armed and have concealed carry as i do myself
About 68 percent of 405,000 prisoners released in 30 states in 2005 were arrested for a new crime within three years of their release from prison, and 77 percent were arrested within five years, according to a report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) released Tuesday.
The report, entitled Recidivism of State Prisoners Released in 2005, is based on a BJS data collection which tracked a sample of former prison inmates from 30 states for five years following their release in 2005.
Terry, people are not randomly arrested and I think about how few are arrested and compared to those who got away with crime. Also I’m thinking back to when there was quick justice.
Why not just kill the bad guys? No trials, prisons, or other useless things like civil rights. If you are afraid of something, just kill it. Bad guys, snakes, scorpions, just kill them. Who cares what the consequences are, just kill them.
I cited the Bureau of Justice study you cite. There is a big difference between the 45% of recidivists in federal prison and the 77% they show. BJS suggests its 77% may be too high. 2005 statistic seem a bit stale, there are more recent numbers available. The general 30-year trend has been for violent crimes to be on the decrease. There was an uptick in 2015-16, but the downward trend returned in 2017-18. There just does not seem to be support for your statement that “there are more bad people today because we do nothing to deter their repeated behavior.” Your own words seem to contradict this if the BJS statistics you quote are correct as you suggest. The number of people incarcerated increasing with longer sentences, plus being the highest in the world, paired with decreasing violent crime rates (unfortunately, except rape) also seem to contradict your premise. Data do not tell the whole story, but you seem to be trying to sell guns by heightening fear. I’m not suggesting that people not own guns and agree that having one in your home is one way to defend your family. I’m suggesting that buying a gun because one is fearful because they have been told “evil is everywhere” (your words) is not a good mindset for gun ownership.