Want to carry a gun? Come to Florida. (Or a few other red states.) [View all]

[Cyrano]

An acquaintance of mine carries a concealed gun. Always. He's not a MAGA, he's rational and reasonable, he votes as an Independent, and I asked him why he always carried a gun. His answer was, "Just in case."

[His answer, "Just in case," reminded me of the classic film, "The Deer Hunter." One of the characters used those exact words to explain why he always carried a gun.]

There was no other reason that my acquaintance suggested. "Just in case," was his justification. I have no doubt he sees himself as "a good guy with a gun."

I asked him what he would do if he found himself in the middle of a mass shooting in a school, a church, a restaurant, or wherever. His answer was "I'd try to stop the bad guy."

Then I asked him, "What if the police arrive on the scene and see you holding a gun? How will they tell the "good guy" from the "bad guy?" The question seemed to confuse him, and I never got an answer.

Here in Florida, Gov. DeSantis has signed a bill that, as of July 1st, anyone can carry a concealed weapon with no license and no training. I've been wondering how anyone is going to tell the "good guys" from the "bad guys." And I'm also wondering how may people will die for no reason at all because of this insane law.