It is time to arm the ushers in American movie theaters! Had we had a highly trained SWAT caliber usher with
Sig Sauer M11-A1 9mm Pistol w/ SIGLITE Night Sights, then John Russell Houser, the man accused of killing two people and injuring nine at a movie theater in Lafayette, LouisianaI would have been terminated before he even had a chance to draw his weapon. And since the average usher is 17 years old and works for minimum wage, it will be rock solid security at bargain basement prices.
Sig Sauer M11-A1 9mm Pistol w/ SIGLITE Night Sights, then John Russell Houser, the man accused of killing two people and injuring nine at a movie theater in Lafayette, LouisianaI would have been terminated before he even had a chance to draw his weapon. And since the average usher is 17 years old and works for minimum wage, it will be rock solid security at bargain basement prices.
No, that is not facetiousness rearing its stupid, ugly head. It is exactly what the NRA suggested following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings a few years back. They wanted our school teachers to carry concealed weapons and receive training to protect our children from rogue gunmen. Rick Perry, the former governor of Texas, presidential candidate and spokesperson for fake eyeglasses everywhere, said yesterday that if we had had more guns in that theater it would have never ended up the way it did.
I think the time has come when everybody should be packing heat in restaurants, churches, classrooms, bars, and swimming pools so that nobody except bad guys with guns get gunned down. There are just not enough good guys with guns to go around. Oh, and maybe upon entering the theater, if you present the ticket seller your “I’m a good guy” card at the door, you could get a discount on a bulletproof vest rental.
Sound ridiculous? It is. The fear tactics of the NRA are ruining this nation. For far too long they have run a campaign to block background checks on prospective gun purchasers. John Houser should have never have been able to get a gun in the first place. His mental stability and his criminal background should have red flagged him anywhere he tried to purchase a gun in this country. Unfortunately for the two dead women in that theater and those of us that have grown weary of mass shootings in America, background checks have been tied to the fear campaign. In a twisted piece of logic, the gun lobby has convinced people that background checks are an infringement on the 2nd Amendment of the US Constitution. Never mind the "inalienable rights" discussed in the Declaration of Independence. “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” has ended for every victim of a shooting by a madman. Somehow owning a gun trumps life in the twisted minds of the NRA lobbyists who are effectively keeping responsible gun regulations from ever making it onto the floor of Congress despite 72% of its members saying that background checks make sense.
A shootout between theater patrons and a twisted gunmen with a full clip of random death is not an answer that anyone should find acceptable. We need to stop selling guns to criminals and people who can’t meet the standards of a reasonable background check. We can have guns. We can be safer. But safety does not mean arming every person who can purchase a weapon. We have to do a better job without exacerbating the situation by arming every well-intentioned citizen with deadly weapons so they can serve the function as peace officers without any training whatsoever.
Can anyone reading this honestly say that they feel the same way about entering a crowded movie theater? Isn’t it time we started getting serious about realistic gun controls that keep guns out of the hands of people who have no business owning them?
