The terrorist attack at Ohio State University – and let’s be honest, that is what it was – has many lessons. The same ones we have had to learn in other locations, including Orlando, Nice, and Paris, to be honest.
The attack bears a resemblance to both the Nice attack from this past July in the use of a vehicle to run down a crowd, and the knife attack in a Minnesota shopping mall. It should be noted that like the mall attack this past September, the attacker was quickly stopped by an armed response. In this case, it was an on-duty cop who dropped the apparent jihadist. The jihadist in question was a refugee from Somalia. As of this writing, we do not know if he was radicalized before or after his arrival in the United States. That is something to be determined.
It should be noted that Ohio State University is technically a gun-free zone. Once again, such a zone did not stop a would-be attacker. The only reason the body count is at just the attacker is because of the cop’s presence. The fact is this time, the nearly immediate application of decisive force to stop this terrorist attack was due to a large amount of luck. If the officer had not been present at the start of the attack, we could have seen a much higher death toll. The only accomplishment of gun-free zones is that killers and would-be killers face victims who were much less capable – if not utterly incapable – of fighting back.
What does this mean? The first rule is, if you are able to carry a firearm, do so. Get the CCW permit. It will not hurt to look into having other self-defense tools, and training in their use for when you can’t carry a firearm. Pepper spray or some other less-lethal system is better than nothing.
If there are businesses that are gun-free zones, politely encourage the on-site management to change that. If it is a national or regional chain, politely contact their customer service department to request the change, and make it clear that the presence of a gun-free zone will make it less likely that they will get your money.
The other big lesson is that initial media reports can be wrong. Early reports claimed that an active shooter incident was taking place at the university. We even saw Tim Kaine and other gun-grabbers try to use this knife attack to push for gun control. The fact is, it never hurts to wait to comment on an incident until after the facts are in. While those gun-grabbers must be looking pretty stupid, you can bet that most media outlets will help them sweep that under the rug.
Never forget that the gun-grabbers have their ultimate goals in mind, and it can be summed up with “Mr. and Mrs. America, turn them all in.” Keep in mind, the fact that they tried to turn a knife attack into a call for gun control shows they will come after our Second Amendment rights at the slightest excuse.
The final lesson, one that bears repeating from Orlando, among other attacks, is this: When an attack happens, police, firefighters, and paramedics who arrive after the 911 call are the second responders. The first responders are those on the scene. Your safety in those initial moments is up to you.
Stay safe, and stay alive out there.