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| This is the alleged Chattanooga shooter |
Yesterday, a devout Muslim young man used a rifle to kill four marines at a military recruiting office in Chattanooga, Tennessee. In the US, even soldiers are not permitted to bring weapons to work, when work is a facility, even rented by the federal government. The devout Muslim young man actually attacked two facilities yesterday, but was killed by police before he was able to take additional lives. There are other individuals this man injured and at least one of their lives still hangs in the balance. Because they were not permitted to be armed while at work, the soldiers in the recruiting station were sitting ducks.
The shooter is said to be a very pious Muslim young man who was raised in Tennessee. I will not dignify him or his actions by even stating his name. He was born in Kuwait, had Jordanian citizenship and had been a naturalized American citizen. He held an electrical engineering degree from a Tennessee university. He was given all the opportunities we have available here. He is said to have belonged to a good family who are "good people". Classmates in high school remembered him to be "very bright". He squandered all the chances given to him by this nation, and he squandered his own life as well, and dishonored his family here.
A few weeks ago I posted an entry where I explained that ISIS had hacked US military information and was publishing the names of military officers and their families. They actually created a "Hit List/Wish List" just in the event that anyone who was already in the US and wished to do them a favor would have a place to start. If I knew this, then the US military certainly did, as did the FBI. Were additional security measures taken in view of the ISIS hit list ? Doesn't an attack on a recruiting station does sound like a likely progression from such a list ? Will the federal government revisit their policy concerning no firearms in federal facilities, even in the hands of soldiers ?
Americans are not at war with Muslims. However, radical Islamists have made it very clear that they are indeed at war with Americans and particularly with anyone who has ties to our military. They are determined to bring the war home to us, and to our doorsteps.
Americans need to remain watchful. Anyone who is legally able to obtain a concealed weapons permit, should do so. A gun is not a charm, however. Simply owning one and carrying one does not protect you, in itself. In fact, owning one without proficiency may actually place you at more risk as the weapon can be taken from you and used on you and your family. A weapon is a serious responsibility. One must allocate time and money to practice regularly and to become safe and proficient. Once one is safe and proficient, then time and funds must still be allocated for practice ammo to retain that level of proficiency.
Remember that in study after study, active shooters who encounter armed resistance tend to take their own lives, and this ends the incident. Perhaps we should all be ready to be that resistance to an armed shooter.
When ISIS fighters realize that at every turn, their band of operatives will encounter competent armed resistance 24/7 perhaps attacks on the United States homeland will become less appealing.
The prior post mentioned:
http://rationalpreparedness.blogspot.com/2015/03/isis-publishes-us-military-kill-list.html
