While covering the news of five people gunned down inside the Capital Gazette newspaper by a man who held a grudge against them, I was trying to remember if we ever did an article on the topic of carrying a firearm at work. I found one occasion that we’ve discussed it and I’m sure that if I dug deeper, I’d find more.
This latest incident occurred in Maryland, which we all know isn’t the most gun-friendly state in the country. With a different mindset than, say Texas, you’d likely find it difficult to come across people who actually carry a firearm at work.
But it’s not crazy, and it’s not a product of paranoia to carry at work.
The chances of having to use your firearm during, say, a mass shooting are extremely slim. But what about any of the other multiple threats that one could face on any given day? Things happen that we don’t count on such as armed robberies and car-jackings. What about domestic violence that spills outside of the home? The point is, something bad can come your way at home, on your way to work, at work, on your way back home, while you’re stopping to get gas, etc.
But it’s not crazy, and it’s not a product of paranoia to carry at work.
If you’re at the beach and a nasty thunderstorm rolls in, you go find shelter until the storm passes. Let’s say you find shelter and realize that you left your beach towels behind. Are you going to go back down to the beach and risk getting struck by lighting? While you know that the odds of being struck by lightning are relatively rare, you’re still not likely to take the chance. It’s not worth the risk, and would be smarter to just wait it out. You made a decision to better your chances of survival.
If you’re at a car dealership and see a really nice car that you just can’t live without, would you buy it after the salesman tells you that this particular car doesn’t come with airbags? Probably not, because you’d want those airbags there in case the day comes that you are in an accident. You’re preparing for a possible negative future event.
If you have fire extinguishers in your home, you’ll be happy that they’re in place if you were ever to have a fire. It’s not something that you ever expect to use, but it’s there if the day comes that you ruin dinner, or a faulty outlet acts up.
If your car needs a repair to the suspension system, do you wait 10,000 miles until you fix it? No (if you’re smart), because you want to ensure that it’s in good condition and not likely to cause a dangerous situation for you in the near future.
The list goes on, but the point is the choices that we make to ensure our safety. We make them every day and many of us probably make them numerous times a day. If there’s an aggressive driver ahead of you, most people would probably take steps to distance themselves from that possible threat.
A crime reporter from the Capital Gazette had tweeted the events of what occurred moments after they happened.
There is nothing more terrifying than hearing multiple people get shot while you’re under your desk and then hear the gunman reload
— Phil Davis (@PhilDavis_CG) June 28, 2018
He later went on to say the following in an interview;
“I’m a police reporter. I write about this stuff—not necessarily to this extent, but shootings and death—all the time,” he said. “But as much as I’m going to try to articulate how traumatizing it is to be hiding under your desk, you don’t know until you’re there and you feel helpless.”
I am not looking to put Mr. Davis on the spot, and I do not know what his views are on concealed carry. Instead, I am using this interview quote to show the very real nature of what happens when someone is faced with a deadly threat such as an active shooter. In that moment, Davis felt helpless and could not have understood that feeling prior to this incident.
I am using this interview quote to ‘poke’ anyone who is on the fence about concealed carry, carrying a firearm at work, or anything similar. I am using this interview quote to display the brutal reality of what can happen to people without warning. I am using this interview quote in the hopes that many people will change their minds about their own safety, and take steps to ensure that they are more prepared than they are today.
I am not saying that a person with a firearm inside the office would have been able to save any of the five lives that were taken. It’s impossible to know. But if it were me under a desk and I had my firearm, sure I would be scared out of my mind, but I would also know that I have a legitimate fighting chance against the bad guy with a gun.
After getting accustomed to carrying, it becomes a daily habit. It becomes as natural as placing your wallet inside of your pocket. It’s something that is done not to look for an opportunity to use it, but rather to use it if there are no other opportunities available when in a bad situation. We don’t look for a fight; we attempt to avoid them at all costs. We do not feel more powerful while carrying a firearm, but instead we feel better prepared.
If you use the fire extinguisher on a fire and it fails to put it out, you still had a fighting chance against that fire. The extinguisher will not always work, but it does give you an opportunity.
Just as a firearm will not always stop the bad guy, it gives the carrier a more level playing field when up against a bad guy with a gun.
And with this particular incident, the bad guy only stopped shooting when the good guys with guns came to put an end to it.
