in other words
september11
The Gun Doctor: Preventing Mass Shootings
By Wolfgang Rotbart
Update to last month’s article
about “gun-free zones”: I just watched a
video from the Department of Homeland
Security about how to deal with an “active
shooter event”, i.e. mass shooting. As
the shooter enters the building, the door
has a “No Firearms Allowed” sign. Not
surprisingly, the shooter walks past it
without the slightest pause. Part of the
video states that, as a last resort, victims
should fight back with whatever they can
find. They are shown taking on the well-
armed shooter with a folding chair and
fire extinguisher. No mention of the far
greater effectiveness of using a firearm.
I’ll leave the irony of this situation and
the “no firearms” sign for the reader to
consider.
In this follow-up to last month’s
article, I would like to explore some
of the proposals for preventing mass
shootings such as the recent one in
Aurora, Colorado.
As for background, James
Homes, apparently alone, exited the
theater and re-entered wearing a bullet-
resistant vest (very few are truly bullet-
proof and those are very expensive),
helmet, and other protective gear
including a gas mask.
He was also armed with a
variation of the AR-15 semi-auto rifle
with a 100-round magazine, pump-
action shotgun, a Glock 22 pistol with a
30+ round magazine and a few hundred
rounds of ammunition. He was certainly
well prepared for this monstrous act.
Here are some of the “solutions”
being offered and how they would have
affected this type of situation:
“Register all gun owners.” In
almost every mass killing case, the
gunman gives up meekly after the
shooting or commits suicide. It is rare
that the gunman in these cases even
attempts to leave the scene. He wants
everyone to know what he did. And
criminals rarely register their guns and
intents anyway.
“Being armed in this case would
not have helped since the perpetrator
was wearing body armor.” Many people
don’t understand that body armor does
not make the wearer invulnerable to
gunfire. Body armor will usually stop a
handgun bullet, but even then, it’s still
similar to being hit with a well-swung
ball bat. People have died while wearing
body armor, not from penetration by the
bullet, but just the blunt-force trauma
that occurs. At a minimum, shooting
someone in body armor will most
assuredly put them “off their game”
for a bit, perhaps knocking them to the
ground. Confronting someone in body
armor decreases your odds of quickly
stopping the assailant, but even a small
chance is much better than a zero
(unarmed) chance.
“Stop
Internet
sales
of
ammunition.” Since ammunition is
readily available at many storefront
locations, no effect.
“Require reporting of large
sales of ammunition,” (the suspect had
thousands of rounds in his apartment).
There are several problems with this.
First, it only matters what the gunman
has with him at the time of a shooting
that matters. Next, anyone could still
buy in smaller quantities over time.
When I received my training in defensive
handgun use, I shot almost 800 rounds
in less than four days. When I bought
them, I also purchased another 1,600
rounds for friends who were attending
the same class, 2,400 rounds total.
Should I be put on some clandestine
“watch list” because of this? And if I
am, will someone be assigned to watch
me 24/7, not to mention the millions
of others who might buy “excessive”
amounts of ammunition?
“Outlaw so-called ‘assault
rifles’.” According to the FBI, during
the Clinton-era ban, the percentage of
firearm related crime compared to the
total remained unchanged. Overall,
crime rates continued downward and
the percentage of firearms related
crimes actually dropped after the ban
was overturned. Also, “assault rifles”
are rarely used in crimes, only in a few
percent of all reported cases. Many
other rifles are more powerful and
deadly, but are not considered “assault
rifles”. Functionally, they are the same.
The term “assault rifles” is applied more
due to a firearm’s appearance than to its
lethality.
“Outlaw
high
capacity
magazines,” (generally considered to
be any that hold over ten rounds). The
worst mass shooting in recent history,
at Virginia Tech, was conducted mostly
using 10 round magazines. Magazines
are designed to be changed out in only a
few seconds. If the intended victims are
fleeing or hiding the shooter has plenty
of time to reload. In Aurora, the high-
capacity rifle magazine jammed after
about 30 rounds. In general, the higher
the capacity, the more likely a jam is to
occur. Also, there are millions of high-
capacity magazines in this country and
banning their manufacture or importation
won’t change that fact. During the
Clinton assault rifle ban, I attended many
gun shows and there were always plenty
of high-capacity magazines. They were
just more expensive; same with the
“assault rifles”.
“Close
gun
ownership
‘loopholes.’”
In the Aurora case,
the accused gunman had no criminal
record, but did display bizarre behavior.
2012
7
According to newspapers in Aurora,
several folks told the authorities that
this person was unstable and should not
be allowed to purchase a firearm of any
kind. The authorities did nothing.
There is another example of a
mass shooter who should not have been
able to purchase the firearm, but did
because of government incompetence.
The Virginia Tech shooter had been
adjudicated as having mental problems,
but this information was never integrated
into the background check system.
The police can’t be everywhere all the
time and, frankly, who would want them
to be?
Alone of all the “solutions”
usually offered, in my opinion, only an
armed and vigilant population can be
counted on in a mass shooting scenario.
I still can’t help but feel that on September
11, 2001, if the pilots on the hijacked
planes had been trained and armed, we
might still be wondering, “Just what
were those 19 lunatics up to?”
Follow-up
information
to
topics in this and other articles can
be found on the “Resources” page on
The Gun Doctor home page (www.
wolfgangthegundoctor.com).
I welcome ideas for topics for
these articles. Please email them to:
Wolfgang@WolfgangTheGunDoctor.
com or call me at 503-429-7342 10:00 –
5:00 M – F
Wolfgang Rotbart is an AGI-
certified Master Gunsmith and a NRA-
certified Basic Pistol Course Instructor.
He works as a gunsmith and as an
Oregon Concealed Handgun Safety
Course Instructor. You may visit The Gun
Doctor website for more information at:
http://www.wolfgangthegundoctor.com/
On the Shelves - What’s Happening at the Vernonia Library
The Summer Reading Program at the Vernonia
Public Library was a great success this year with over
80 children between the ages of 1 and 13 participating
in the different events! Highlights included a well
attended Tye-Dye event, a performance by Penny the
Puppeteer, and a visit from Ranger Steve Krueger of
the Oregon State Parks talking about Owls. We have
to applaud our young readers out there as well. We had
several participants that read as much as 20 hours per
week!
This program would not be possible without
our volunteer support. With that we would like to say
thank you to Barbara Ward, Gretchen MacComb, Grant
Williams, Christina Shipley, and all of the parents,
grandparents, and caregivers that stayed during reading
time and activities to help. This year we also had four
teen helpers that I would like to recognize; Marley,
Jacob, Kaitlyn, and Breanna, thank you for your help.
The impact you make on the younger children in our
community by taking the time to work with them is
immeasurable.
In addition to the Ready to Read Grant the
program depends on generous donations. The following
businesses and organizations contributed to our
success: Bullwinkle’s Family Fun Center, Evergreen
Aviation Museum, Oregon Zoo, Oregon State Parks,
Oregon College Savings Plan, Vernonia Sentry, Clever
Cricket, Costco, Out of this World Pizza, Friends of
the Vernonia Public Library, Vernonia’s Voice, and The
Independent.
Planning is already underway for our 2013
Summer Reading Program – “Dig Into Reading”!
Watch for information about this after the first of
the year. Until then we have an after school reading
program every Tuesday that school is in session
from 3:30-4:30 PM beginning September 25, 2012.
For our youngsters that are not in school yet there is
preschool story time on Mondays from 10:30-11:15
AM beginning September 24, 2012. Please contact the
library at 503-429-1818 with any questions.
Vernonia’s Voice is published twice
each month on the 2nd
and 4th Tuesday. Look for our next
issue September 25th.
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