I appreciate the disease analogy. Pretty much hits it on all accounts. We are trained not to use it, trained to defer action to specifically designated people, and are concerned we will get sued if we do what makes sense. It is a powerful statement that the “good guys” far outnumber the “bad guys.” I believe that’s true. I subscribed to this blog thread ages ago and appreciate all the views and points that have come up over time. Thank you.

Chris,

I think the problem isn’t exactly that violence is too commonplace in society. The problem is that criminal violence isn’t held in check by justifiable violence.

Disease vaccines might be a good analogy. Imagine a disease was running rampant in society. Thousands of people were being killed or crippled by it. While this is happening, thousands of people with some medical training are holding vaccines for this disease. They could use the vaccines to stop the disease, but they’ve been told it’s not their job to do it. If they see someone with the disease, they should just call a doctor. They might even be sued if they improperly use the vaccine, even though not using the vaccine is doing nothing but leading to more deaths.

We’re pretty much in the same boat with violence. The good guys way outnumber the bad guys, but don’t apply the means they have to stop criminals from running wild.

Corey,

I’m glad you appreciated it, thank you for your comment. And please spread the word.