by AV Horton

It has happened again – another great opportunity for the anti-gun crowd to run wild. "After all, the guy in Atlanta killed 12 or 13 people with guns!!!"

Look a little further. He was a suspect in the killings of his previous wife and her mother at an Alabama campground about six years ago. Bludgeoned them, it is reported. Presumably, this bludgeoning was not conducted with a firearm. He also is presumed to have killed his current wife and his two children several days ago. He left his farewell notes on their bodies, in their apartment, so says the news reports. He apparently killed them with a hammer, very humanely (his assessment was that they died peacefully in less than five minutes), then put the bodies in the bath tub filled with water so they would not survive even if the beatings failed to kill. Then, on July 29, he visited the offices of two Atlanta brokerage firms. He had stock trading business relationships with at least one of these firms where he had been a day-trader. Possibly, he was "betting" with the proceeds of the insurance litigation over his first wife’s death. In any case, July 29 was a bad day in the market and this individual did kill 12 or 13 people, including himself, some with guns.

Although Mark O. Barton was never indicted for the Alabama murders, one could reasonably conclude that this man indulged in madness. Don’t judge the madness. It is a futile exercise for sane and civilized people to attempt understanding of such behavior. You sane and civilized folks simply don’t possess the required contorted mentality to understand – so don’t bother with that.

My question is "Where were the armed citizens when this guy showed up?" Clearly, he could have killed or injured one or more before it was realized that someone who appeared to be a known customer was really a crazed killer. Equally as clear, there is no way that he could have killed and injured so many if an armed citizen, properly trained in the use of deadly force, was there to turn the events in a different direction.

A couple of answers to my question might be:

Georgia may not have a concealed firearm law. If this is the case, all of the law-abiding Georgians are fair game for criminals and nuts.

The businesses visited by Barton had office rules against firearms, alcohol, and drugs on the premises. This is not an unusual rule; but, maybe not a good one so far as firearms restrictions are concerned.

Reflect on the lines of a TV comedian back in the early days of airliner hijacking: "There is a simple solution – just hand everyone a loaded .357 as they board the airplane. Can you see some nut deciding to hijack the airliner to Cuba only to meet this old lady with the .357 who is intending to go to see her grandchildren? Bye, Bye hijacker!!"

Does this Atlanta event provide cause to attack the validity of the Second Amendment of our Constitution? No more than it provides cause to attack the availability of hammers at hardware stores or the rights of people to invest in the stock market. Both of these items served Barton’s madness and he demonstrated that a killer can, and will, find reasons and implements. This matter is not about guns, but rather about a sickness growing in the population of our great nation.