aside from all the standard arguments, one thing I found interesting about this story is that there were a number of armed citizens around when this happened, and none of them even tried to "take down the badguy". In an intense moment of shock and high stress most people can't react like that. Just goes to show that giving guns to the "good guys" is a poor argument for public safety. And even if people had tried to shoot him there is a serious risk of an innocent bystander being hit.
Also, micah is right about the US having a culture of guns. If it wasn't for this culture, there would be much less demand for guns, less industry and less availability (legal or illegal).
Most people freeze in moments where they need to act, it takes repeated exposure to these events. It's much like the freeze you experience in dream where the bad guy is chasing you but you can't run. The first time i came under fire i was unarmed, but had i been it would not have mattered. My reaction was to get under a car, it took what felt like forever, was over in a moment, but it felt like a lifetime and my heart was pounding so hard i nearly blacked out. I do not fault those people, and the sad thing is since it was not a direct attack on them personally many would have persecute an individual who did step up and drop him.
As for Micah's attack, i do not take it personally. Gun's often raise heated argument and opinion, and he is just expressing his. I will try and elaborate more intelligently later the point i was trying to make, right now i have to finish up an assignment, shower, and eat before class.
