Bobert is right on this. Having known someone who packed a gun with him all the time, with the idea that he could save lives by taking out any potential shooters before they could do serious harm, turned out to be more of a danger to both other people and himself.

The jury is still out, but I can make a pretty good guess as to the dark urges lurking in George Zimmermann's mind before he shot Trayvon Martin. Not "Have Gun, Will Travel," but "Have Gun, Want to Shoot Someone!" And some black teen ager, who had every right to be where he was, provided Zimmermann with what he thought was a reasonable excuse.

Most people's skills with firearms—or lack thereof—would make them more of a danger to more people than the occasional Aurora, Colorado shooter. Imagine what would have happened in that theater had one or more other people had drawn guns and started blazing away with the idea of stopping the shooter—who happened to be wearing a Kevlar vest? How many MORE people would have been shot?

At the VERY least, a person should be required to pass a test demonstrating competence with a firearm, and knowledge of when the use of a firearm is called for—and when not. And carry a license along with the firearm, in the same way and for the same reasons that he or she is required to have a license to operate an automobile.

Don Firth