The solution to the Fort Hood Shootings was There All the Time

I've deliberately avoided rushing to comment on the shootings that occurred at Fort Hood, Texas, on November 5th. I've been waiting for the dust to settle and for the general debate to at least consider alternatives beyond denying Muslims the opportunity to serve in the military, keeping Muslim soldiers out of war zones, increasing security, etc, etc, ad nauseum. But so far I haven't seen much else.

I don't see that racial profiling--although it makes sense when looking for middle-eastern terrorists--will help much if the next service person to shoot up an installation happens to be a crazy Methodist of Icelandic origin.

The solution to this particular type of problem has already presented itself, and it works. The perpetrator, a US Army officer was stopped by civilian police officers who shot him.

It used to be that officers and NCOs in our military routinely carried loaded sidearms. It was part of their job and their duty. Along the way, the military seems to have bought into the idea that guns are bad and that all problems can be solved by launching a B2 bomber or a guided missile. (This may be one reason why the Pentagon is constantly updating aircraft, ships and missiles, but our soldiers are still carrying virtually the same rifle their fathers did in Vietnam and Desert Storm. But that is a discussion for another time.) The truth is that on the battlefield, infantry is always required to hold a piece of ground. There is an old saying to the effect that in battle, the last one hundred yards has to be taken by men with rifles.

In the same way, soldiers carrying loaded pistols wherever they go are far more effective than those who are unarmed. Some people will say that having more guns carried by soldiers will make it more likely that another shooting may occur. But I say that guns in the hands of soldiers who are loyal to their country and their fellow soldiers does not increase the threat, it decreases it. As we have already seen, the real threat is a gun in the hands of the bad guy, when he is the only person who is armed. We've seen this at Columbine, Virginia Tech, and many other schools that purport to be "Gun Free Zones" and now we've seen it on a military base.

It's time to restore the time honored tradition that fighting men (and women) should boldly proclaim themselves to be warriors, both on and off the battlefield, and that they should act and dress accordingly. And that means carrying a loaded sidearm and being trained and confident in their capabilities to use it.