WHAT ARE THEY AFRAID OF?

Here is an interesting poll result. A recent Gallup Poll  found that 56% of Americans who responded said that we would be safer if more people were armed with concealed weapons. Who are they afraid of? I suppose it must be that they fear people who are armed with concealed weapons.  Doesn't make sense to me. The power of the armed 'good guy' to prevent the kind of carnage we increasingly witness is a myth. Strapping on a gun does not make you or I into a superhero, much less a good shot. Actually the ready availability of fire power dramatically increases the number, and success rate, of suicide attempts. The NRA makes it difficult to study the effects of guns on the health of Americans, but there are some interesting and disturbing trends. Take this one. One research project found of the 763 people killed in 579 shooting incidents (yes, more than one person died in some of the events too numerous to recount) occurring since 2007, the vast majority of those licensed shooters took themselves out or others who were not perpetrators. 223 of the deaths were suicides. I am afraid to ask about deaths (mainly women) resulting from domestic violence. Recent concealed-carry excesses include shooters firing at shop-lifters and other non violent offenders running in public places. Try to think of one of those vigilantes plugging away at a kid running in Shaw's parking lot with a purloined bag of Gold Fish. The Second Amendment says something about a WELL-REGULATED militia. What I think we are seeing is strong lobby groups using that amendment to prevent any sort of regulation. The result is tragic. That my neighbor is (literally) packing only worries me.