August 15, 2012
What if?
It’s a question that inevitably crosses millions of minds every day, but in the wake of the tragedies in Aurora, Colo., and Milwaukee, Wis., the what ifs in recent weeks have revolved around firearms, ammunition and the laws that surround them from state to state.
What if gun laws were stricter? What if someone kept track of how much ammunition the suspect had been purchasing over the past several months? What if citizens were stripped of Second Amendment rights?
Or what if someone in the theater had his or her concealed weapons license and was carrying that evening? Could a legitimate gun owner have prevented these shootings by taking out the assailant?
“It’s hard to assume, to say things could have been better or maybe worse if someone at either of these two incidents had his or her concealed weapons permit and was carrying a firearm,” said Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office Capt. Jeremy Granier, who oversees the department’s concealed weapons courses. “It’s difficult and almost irresponsible to say things may have been different. These people were going to commit these crimes with or without stricter gun laws. I don’t know if stricter gun laws would have prevented either incident. The big push across the state right now is ‘see something, say something.’ If you see something unusual or see suspicious activity, alert the authorities.”
Granier, who has been overseeing the concealed-weapons course for more than five years, said the number of concealed-weapons applicants has not gone up locally in the wake of the events.
“The majority of those who come to the concealed weapons class don’t go through with getting the permit,” Granier said. “They just want to learn about gun safety and gun laws.”
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