Lieutenant Colonel Dave Grossman, U.S. Army (Ret),
is best known for his combat mindset survey, On Killing. Published in 1996, it remains on military and
other professional reading lists for its historical perspective and insight.
A former paratrooper and ranger, Grossman continues
sharing his knowledge and views with the military, police, and emergency
services communities as well as armed citizens. Traveling 300 days a year for
16 years, he sees a wide variety of groups and individuals who have been or
might be exposed to violence. Many of
his appearances are sold out, and in December he spoke to a near-capacity
audience in Mesa, Arizona.
Grossman gave a six-hour presentation covering
numerous aspects of what he calls the “sheepdog” philosophy. He opines that 98% of humans are sheep
waiting to be sheared or worse; 1% are wolves and 1% are protective sheepdogs.
He covers a wide range of topics including heavy Second Amendment emphasis,
insisting, “Only predators can hunt down other predators,” hence the armed good
guys (sheepdogs) are needed to deter the human wolves.
Rather than crazed individuals or theological
zealots, Grossman insists, “Our enemy is denial.” Part of the problem he sees is individual and
institutional inability to conceive that something atrocious could happen to them.
From local non-responders at Columbine High School and other U.S. mass
murders to nation-state atrocities such as the Holocaust, humans have proven
supreme deniers of what history proves not only possible, but inevitable.
Typically history oriented, Grossman notes that civilian
mass killings with firearms are new in the 500-year history of gunpowder.
Offenders come from across the spectrum: rich, poor, smart, dumb, white,
others, etc. The worst cases have been in Europe (notably Finland) and
there are many edged weapon killings in China. Grossman states the reason
for high body counts in the U.S. appears to be the recent juncture of (usually)
legally acquired guns and extremely violent video games. He described how to "win" some of
the most appalling games but First Amendment considerations usually triumph in
court.
Meanwhile, Grossman notes that Islamists believe the
best way to advance their violent cause is to kill infidel children. The best (worst) example occurred when
Chechen zealots took over a Russian school in 2004. Grossman says the opposition sees that
incident as a model for Over Here. He recounted some horrific (an
understatement) details of what the terrorists inflicted on 1,000 captives,
mostly kids and mothers. More than 300 hostages died in the three-day
horror. Nearly 50 perpetrators were killed
or caught but about 12 escaped and are considered potential leaders for the
next round. Al Qaeda reputedly says that the U.S. and West owe “The Base”
about 2,000,000 deaths.
In a startling contrast, Grossman explains that we
spend billions on fire protection (often half the cost of a new building) but
almost zip in hardening entrances (at the cost of less than $25 per window!)
There have been zero school fatalities to fire in 50-plus years.
Yet only now are more schools deploying armed guards, which has been SOP
in Israel for decades. Guess what: no terrorist shootings occurred in
Israeli schools in decades.
Elsewhere, mass murderers pick on schools because
they're usually undefended and the kids offer easy targets. But Grossman
believes that any action can be helpful, as many killers stop at the first sign
of resistance. In practice he taught his grandchildren to throw books at
his head, then run. "Throw harder, Billy." "Gosh
Grampa, this is fun!"
Using one example from his native Arkansas, Grossman
cited a massacre in 1998. Two juveniles
stole guns from a relative (a game warden) and murdered five people at a school
near Jonesboro. Because of lenient
sentencing laws, they were released at age 21 and one of them resumed a life of
crime.
Investigators noted that the Aurora, Colorado,
killer passed up two theaters that did not prohibit weapons. That's what
detectives call A Clue.
"Newtown was just the start," Grossman
asserts. He considers Virginia Tech’s 32
dead as “inevitable” given the university’s no-defense policy.
Schools definitely can be made into harder targets,
especially with armed personnel, secure doors and windows. But Grossman contends that shall-issue CCW is
"the greatest grass-roots movement in US history." Nearly every
state now has shall-issue requirements, excepting criminals and the mentally
incompetent. (Criminals will violate the
law anyway—that’s why they’re called criminals.)
The national homicide rate has remained flat line
for decades but aggravated assault has spiked alongside releases from prison.
Conclusion: we'll never build enough prisons or have enough mental-health
people and medications to handle all the potential perps, so expect things to
get worse. But keep in mind: only an
armed sheepdog can protect the flock’s lambs from the wolves circling out
beyond the perimeter.
Meanwhile, what can individuals do in an
increasingly violent world? For
starters, they can recognize that The State has zero obligation to protect them
individually. Twice the U.S. Supreme
Court has ruled that police are not required to respond to cries for help from
you, Mr. Tommy Timid or Ms Mary Meek. You
can read Warren v. District of
Columbia (1981) and Bowers v. DeVito
(1982).
Secondly,
individuals have not only the responsibility to defend themselves, but the
right (often miscast as permission in some jurisdictions). When crime victims are denied the means to
defend their lives where The State fails—whether on 9-11 or in an urban
jungle—the options are clear. Either
avoid the problem by voting with one’s feet, or as Grossman insists, get involved
in the political process. After all,
Sheepdogs are not limited to where they may roam.
For more
information, visit Dave Grossman’s web site:
http://www.killology.com.