I assume the university had the normal manning standard: too many people if nothing was going on, and not enough if anything happened, although with rising costs they may have down-sized to just enough people to almost handle the normal work load.

A large dog is the best option, Alice. You are not apt to lose it and you don’t have to worry about it falling into the wrong hands.

Because of this, a friend tried to give me a gun, for protection he said. But life isn’t a movie and the chances of me operating a gun with the calmness and precision of a commando were zilch to none. Assuming, of course, that I could actually reach the gun in time to use it. For many, a gun is false protection because most will buy it, stick it in a drawer and that’s it. They may occasionally shoot on the range, but not consistently enough to have it become second nature. Owning a gun doesn’t automatically protect you.

So I opted for a dog. Much more fun to own and I discovered that many people have a healthy respect for dogs, especially when they’re staring down someone and growling. And training him to strain on the leash as if I couldn’t hold him was just an added touch.

Let’s face it: no law enforcement, no gun laws and no students packing heat could possibly have prevented an obvious crazy from committing this horrific act. Unfortunately, no banning of guns could have prevented it, either. Restrictions on purchases of firearms will, with certainty, be circumvented sometimes despite best efforts. There is no magic answer… none. As surely as Gingrich’s generalization about Columbine was absurd and offensive, many generalizations about this incident will be cheap political opportunism, and I make no apology for saying so.

When I re-met Stella in 1997, she owned a tiny pistol. In her defense, she had recently experienced an assault, from which she managed to escape by a clever line of talk… psychotherapists can think of things to say that most of us never would. I tried to talk her into getting rid of the pistol, because it was so small it would not have stopped a squirrel, let alone an assailant… and because Stella would never have fired it, kindly soul that she is. For all I know, she still owns it; we don’t talk about it. Guns are seldom the solution to any nonmilitary problem.

As to this incident, it will be some time before we know what happened, why it happened and what it means. That time cannot be rushed. My hope is that legislators will not be bolted into doing something stupid… but it is in the nature of most state legislators to follow the political path of least resistance, and I do not have a lot of hope of sensible response to this tragedy.

Here I am, as usual, hoping for the best, but expecting the worst…

A fire hose can stop almost anyone, if someone thinks to use it. The same for a CO₂ fire extinguisher.

Automatic weapons, when permitted by the state, are taxed [$250/year] and regulated by the Feds, even if they are owned by law enforcement. I opposed them on the principle that they aren’t very accurate, waste a lot of ammunition, are no more effective than a shotgun with buckshot, and anyone who wants one shouldn’t be trusted with a jack knife. There was a lot of discussion when they were introduced by a local jurisdiction for their SWAT team. I’ve used an M-16 and an UZI [in the military] and would rather have Remington 12-gauge pump.

If the perpetrator was a foreign student on a visa, as reported, I’m going to be interested in hearing how he could buy any gun. Someone is going to be in trouble over that, if they were obtained “legally”.

As you say, the big problem is you never know what’s waiting for you. At the very least, I believe all residence life staff should have self-defense training and access to something like pepper spray.

I suppose nothing much can stop a deranged individual with a semi-automatic weapon. I’m not totally anti-gun; I believe there are circumstances when individuals are wise to own a gun for protection. I am, however, totally opposed to civilians owning automatic weapons.

It’s better to have help on the way and not need it, than to need help and not be able to get it.

This I do know, however. My daughter was an RA in her sophomore year, has been an Assistant Residence Director for the last two years, and has been hired as a full-time Residence Director next year.

The first male killed was an RA, possibly trying to solve a dispute, which is one of the functions of an RA, ARD, and RD.

It scares the hell out of me.

I have a special affinity for the guys in local law enforcement. They will be second guessing themselves for the rest of their lives, trying to figure what they didn’t do that would have stopped this.

Grief on an individual basis is a difficult thing to deal with, but this is too much for a small community.