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RE: Realistic Aims
You personally do not have fear? I believe strongly in a God that controls my fate, but I still feel fear, whether I think I should or not. Fear is not optional. Some people are able to act amongst fear, but most of the time they were strengthened by previous high stress situations.
Have you ever been robbed at gunpoint? It is much scarier than you may think. As easy as it is to say that you would attack from your cube or office, it takes a special programming of the brain to actually keep cool in high stress situations like this and make a rational choice. Victims of violent situations almost always say the same thing: 'I couldn't believe it was happening to me.' Even amongst martial artist and returned soldiers that fight back against an attacker say they experienced detachment and disbelief while they were reacting, but that the previous training came through even though their 'mind wasn't doing it'. I think it is vain to say 'I would have done this or that' - it is not simple.
As for the 'knock out gas' suggestion, I pose to you the same question: Would you install one in your house, in case a gunman broke in?
As for the status of the mentally ill - I don't know. I think it is reasonable to say that it is in the best interest of the country to spend a significant amount of money and effort to understand what makes someone snap to such ends. I do not think that massacres will ever be able to fully be prevented no matter what lengths we take - after all, 1/4 presidents has had his life attempted at, and 1/10 have been slain (if my counts are right), and they have damn good protection. If we take all the guns away, there is always another way for a crazy to kill people. We need to first understand this kind of insanity, and then learn how to identify it (and hopefully one day cure it).
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RE: Realistic Aims
This is exactly what I'm talking about--Guns themselves are not the problem, people are--I stated that in my posting, tho not quite as succinctly.
The shooting in VA has once again thrust Gun Control into the limelight; what I'm searching for is an intelligent means to control Gun Violence (really all violence), while at the same time protect the 2nd Amendment.
As to why students in the classrooms he assaulted did not rush him while was reloading, I can only think of one reason: Fear, most likely of death. For me, the choice is obvious; I personally do not have fear, I know where to turn that over to. Quoting Star Trek II: "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one." But then, too many of us are more 'self-serving', than are 'serving-selves'.
Brandon's suggestion of 'knock out gas' has merit, but what type of system can we use that will be both safe (we don't want any accidental deaths due to allergies, etc.---think litigation here) and effective. Not only that, but some kind of 'cost effectiveness' (maybe a reduction in the cost of liability insurance?) needs to be built in as well as incentive to businesses, schools, or any other place that would need to install it. There is also delivery system(s), who has the panic button access, and how effective the system is (think Big shopping mall, like Mall of America). Also, what do you do if you have a Tower Sniper, ala Charles Whitman?
Most states have laws 'protecting' the mentally ill. It is difficult to have them placed under care unless one can prove they are a danger to themselves or others. While Cho's writing indicated he was an *extremely* disturbed young man, nothing really could have been done under the law.
Do the laws need to be changed?
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