To Stop The Sniper, Rally The Citizenry
09.20.2002
Recently a rash of 'sniper' attacks has rocked the Washington, DC and surrounding Maryland area. While two of the shootings have not been fatal, in each of the fatal shootings, a single shot was fired, hitting the mark. Because of the nature of the crime, and likely because one of the attacks occurred in Virginia, law enforcement officers of all levels have become involved in an attempt to track down and capture this brutal terrorist - for regardless of what the person or person's motives are or what their nationality is, these are terrorist attacks. However, the random character (in regard to the broad catagory of victims chosen by the shooter) of the attacks have left law enforcement with nothing but vague and minor clues which, so far, have proven only that the shootings are linked.
The problem in a case like this is, as has been said before, that law enforcement officers cannot be everywhere at once. Court cases have time and time again shown that their job is to generally protect the common good, not to protect any particular person. Their job is to solve crimes and bring criminals to justice, not play bodyguard for citizens.
Now I have no doubt that the various law enforcement agencies will find the person or people responsible. If nothing else, the shooter is bound to eventually slip up, giving the local police, FBI or ATF the vital clue they need to find and apprehend this criminal.
Eventually.
But that's just it. How many more innocent people will die by the hand of this terrorist before that vital clue is found?
As it stands right now, from his point of view, it's like shooting fish in a barrel. He shoots, someone dies, with nobody there to stop him... and, with nobody to resist his effort, he easily slips away.
Instead, I propose we fill the proverbial barrel with sharks - and then up-end it on him.
Take the shooting at the school in Bowie, MD yesterday (10/07/02) for example. The sniper fired and wounded a young teenaged boy from a stand of trees nearby the school where he was being dropped off by his aunt. Many people, I'm sure, rushed to the boy's aid and the police and paramedics were called. Indeed, the boy is now still alive because of the efforts of everyone involved.
But meanwhile, during all the that, the killer simply slipped away.
There were plenty of adults nearby - from teachers and parents to local residents and passers by - just no law enforcement officers. Given this fact, how differently might things have turned out if a few adults in the area had been armed, or had been able to arm themselves quickly? How differently might things have turned out if, for example, a citizen driving by at the time had armed herself with her handgun, a teacher had retrieved his hunting rifle from his trunk, a parent had grabbed his 'assault rifle' from his own trunk and a nearby resident had grabbed her shotgun from her closet, with all of them thereafter heading into the woods where the sniper had seemingly fired from?
It's very possible, yes, that one or more of them might have been injured or killed in the attempt.
It's possible that the killer might still have slipped away undetained.
It's also likely that they might have hunted down and either killed or captured the shooter, either way ending the shooter's string of terror (possibly even being able to prevent the sniper from killing of one of their own loved ones in the future).
As citizens of the United States, it is both our right and duty to protect ourselves when times and circumstances like these come to us. But alas, in all cases involving this sniper, nobody has excercised that right or duty and, unfortunately, the fact is that while police step up and focus patrols around schools and highways in Montgomery County, MD, as well as continue to scramble to piece together and make sense of the scant clues they now have, the shooter is still out there, ready to strike at any moment. Sadly there is currently nothing but his own conscience or lack of will to continue that can stop him from killing again. He will simply select another random location, far from the patrols of law enforcement, knowing with near certainty that in this nation of unarmed, frightened citizenry, he will encounter no real, immediate resistance to his acts of terror.
Agree? Disagree? Think I'm full of it?
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