The rest of the story…
A Google news search using the phrase “Omaha Mall Shooting” finds an incredible 2,794 news stories worldwide for the last day. From India and Taiwan to Britain and Austria, there are probably few people in the world who haven’t heard about this tragedy.
But despite the massive news coverage, none of the media coverage, at least by 10 a.m. Thursday, mentioned this central fact: Yet another attack occurred in a gun-free zone.
Surely, with all the reporters who appear at these crime scenes and seemingly interview virtually everyone there, why didn’t one simply mention the signs that ban guns from the premises?
Nebraska allows people to carry permitted concealed handguns, but it allows property owners, such as the Westroads Mall, to post signs banning permit holders from legally carrying guns on their property.
The same was true for the attack at the Trolley Square Mall in Utah in February (a copy of the sign at the mall can be seen here). But again the media coverage ignored this fact. Possibly the ban there was even more noteworthy because the off-duty police officer who stopped the attack fortunately violated the ban by taking his gun in with him when he went shopping.
So, how many times in the last few days have you heard about this?
Here’s the deal. Criminals are not usually the sharpest crayon in the box, but they do display some good sense , on occasion. So, if one wants to go on a shooting spree, where would he choose? A biker bar? A cop hangout? A gun store? Nope. How about a “gun free zone” so that you have unarmed victims and a better chance of survival, at least for a while.
I’m getting more and more to the point that when I see the Licensed Handguns Prohibited signs I turn and walk away. I prefer to do my business in a safe environment where guns are permitted, and no one really knows who’s packing…..
“An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life. “– Robert A. Heinlein