View From The Porch: Oh, that kooky Wayne LaPierre...

In an exclusive interview with ABC News, Noble said there are really only two choices for protecting open societies from attacks like the one on Westgate mall where so-called "soft targets" are hit: either create secure perimeters around the locations or allow civilians to carry their own guns to protect themselves.

"Societies have to think about how they're going to approach the problem," Noble said. "One is to say we want an armed citizenry; you can see the reason for that. Another is to say the enclaves are so secure that in order to get into the soft target you're going to have to pass through extraordinary security."

Wait, that's not Wayne talking; that's Ronald Noble, the Secretary General of Interpol.

While it hasn't exactly received widespread attention from the mainstream media (and understandably so, since it flies in the face of their worldview) it was private citizens with guns who were the first responders at Westgate, a fact even the New York Times grudgingly acknowledged.

I feel all through the looking glass, here.

7 comments:

Keith said...: So treat every mall etc. like the Green Zone circa 2007 or let people carry. Option A is cost prohibitive while option B is politically unacceptable in many areas of the world. Looks like more incidents like this are inevitable.; 9:42 AM, October 22, 2013
Matt said...: Interesting about those first responders. One report I read indicated some of them were actively engaging the terrorists (kudos to them) while leading people outside to the police. The police, as usual, seemed to be waiting for it to be safe before they would go into the mall.; 10:34 AM, October 22, 2013
Firehand said...: Imagine everyone having to be felt-up by the TSA just to go into the mall...

And since the terrorists would do the smuggling into a location instead of carrying stuff through the doors, it won't work. But they'll insist they're saving us.; 10:47 AM, October 22, 2013
Will said...: One of the reports I read stated that the terrorists had stocked a store area with their weapons and supplies prior to the attack.

In addition, what makes anyone think a security station manned by rent-a-cops at an entrance will be able to stop a dozen armed attackers?

I predict the death of malls and other concentrated commerce. People are not going to put up with the TSA just to shop.; 2:13 PM, October 22, 2013
Steve Skubinna said...: People are not going to put up with the

I'd really like that to be correct, but I fear it is not. People put up with it to fly, and to enter any federal building, and shortly they will deal with it to travel by bus or train, and they've already begun at sporting events and concerts.

So sadly, the evidence suggests that people will put up with it.; 6:43 PM, October 22, 2013
Steve Skubinna said...: Damn it, now I see that I cut off the "TSA just to shop."

Hoping it still makes sense.; 6:44 PM, October 22, 2013
Old NFO said...: I'm amazed they acknowledged it at all...; 10:02 PM, October 22, 2013