First, let me state my position in the matter of the most recent events in what-may-be-considered the story of the US & guns in the US. A.  I do not want to take away anyone's guns...& am especially mindful of perceived/real needs for individual/family protection and respect all rights of sportsmen hunters.  B.  I do want to see legislative & value action to decrease the number of gun-related killings & other crimes wherein guns are used.  With full recognition that any legislation in any area will be discovered to have flaw(s), a flaw can be corrected/amended whereas restoring human life after being killed by a gun is another matter.  So, I think we need to do our darndest to try...and, to try while respecting the rights of legal gun owners AND the public good.  Society cannot self-abnegate lest we face a path to violence strewn every-person-for-themselves form of anarchy.  C. My view of (A) & (B) leads me to the conclusion that universal gun registration, limitation on gun ammo capacity, & limitation on assault-style weaponry would realize limited if any onus on the law-abiding individual while, at the same time, furthering the public's general welfare. IMO, the only entity that might suffer some "harm" would be the international gun manufacturers & gun-runners.

Turning to the two gentlemen who were murdered on Saturday at the Texas lodge gun range in mid-afternoon: It is important to emphasize that there were two individuals with the alleged killer. And, extremely significant to any argument rebutting a suggestion that trained, well-armed individuals could defend themselves against an attacker is the actual identity & background of the two deceased men.  One has been acknowledged not just as a (the) top US military sniper...credited with more than 150 kills during the tension of warfare, this individual was not likely to freeze nor hesitate; his associate, also a former military marksman, was equally adept in the use of guns.  And yet...and yet...the killer got both of them before either of these two top experts in matters pertaining to guns could respond in any way...not a scratch on the alleged killer, I understand. Did they not have time because the semi-automatic fired so fast? Was this alleged killer much different than the one who shot up the theatre in Aurora this summer.

Gardner, seeing Harris working with his gun, leaned over the top of the car and fired four shots. He was 60 yards from the gunman. Harris spun hard to the right and Gardner momentarily thought he had hit him. Seconds later, Harris began shooting again at the deputy.

After the exchange of gunfire, Harris ran back into the building. Gardner was able to get on the police radio and called for assistance from other Sheriff's units. "Shots in the building. I need someone in the south lot with me."

So did a second officer who arrived on the scene almost immediately:

The second officer was Deputy Paul Smoker, a motorcycle patrolman who was near the school writing a speeding ticket. When he heard a dispatch of a woman injured at the high school, he responded. He, too, fired at Harris but didn't stop him. ...

... But in chaotic situations, it's often impossible to identify the "bad guy," as Smoker said in his account of Columbine: "There was an unknown inside a school. We didn't know who the 'bad guy' was but we soon realized the sophistication of their weapons. These were big bombs. Big guns. We didn't have a clue who 'they' were."

The fact remains that the armed guard did not prevent the guns from being carried into the school and he was unable to take out the shooter during their exchange of gun fire. If he had rushed into the school without any back up after exchanging gun fire with one of the assailants, the chances were that he too would have lost his life since he had no idea how many people were involved or where they were situated.    

Hate to tell you Jim people are not going to walk around with a sign and blaring lights announcing that they intend to kill a lot of people. In fact, the risk becomes even greater now that several young men in various states have decided to get their jollies by legally terrorizing their fellow citizens by walking through neighborhoods and stores with their assault weapons. Great idea to make people so use to seeing these weapons in their environment that they no longer run and hide when they see them but just stand their like sitting ducks until they die realizing that no this is not just some a$$hole who enjoys legally terrorizing others.

Please stop the game of pretending that the shooters are going to announce their attentions in a timely manner so that a guard, a teacher or armed civilian would be able to stop him from killing a lot of people with a semi-automatic weapon equipped with a high capacity magazine.