A Good Guy with a Gun Saved Lives

I'm a gun-owner, but I also support "least restrictive means" gun control. I personally don't carry my gun in public, but that's my personal choice.

Masked gunman killed by armed father in McDonald’s shooting identified as Birmingham 24-year-old

I'm not sure what the motivation was for Antonio Demond Sanders, the masked shooter, to enter a McDonald's with a mask and a gun. I'm not sure if it was just a robbery attempt, or if he was genuinely wanting to kill someone in that restaurant. He got what he deserved, either way. If you come in and start pointing a gun at people, you have to expect to die. Witness reports say he started shooting, then was shot by the "good guy". I put "good guy" in quotes because, in this instance, he did a good thing. Whether or not he actually is a "good guy" in the rest of his life has very little to do with his willingness to shoot an armed aggressor. The fact that he was a white, armed man in Alabama certainly calls into question the "good guy" label. I'm sure there are plenty of non-racist white people who carry in Alabama, but I suspect they're a minority.

I'm really sad about the masked man's (Sanders) history. His first brush with the law seems to have been for marijuana possession and carrying a gun without a license. Marijuana shouldn't be illegal in the first place, and simply carrying a gun should also not be a crime. These were victimless crimes, at the very most. Being black is hard enough, with higher unemployment and being unable to walk down the street without being harassed by racist police. After the marijuana and gun charges, it would have been virtually impossible to find a job. The poor kid seems to have been trying, even if it was required by the court.

The armed father was absolutely right to shoot Sanders. He did nothing wrong. I hope the police have the good sense to keep his and his son's identity secret, to avoid them being threatened by unhinged BLM "protestors".

I'm just sad that Mr. Sanders didn't have a real chance at a life of dignity. This is why I support non-profits that alleviate poverty, regardless of race. I firmly believe that, if we address poverty, the majority of the social problems faced by Black America will evaporate. That doesn't mean racism will disappear and suddenly things will be great for our Black brothers and sisters, but it's far easier to assert your rights from a position of stability and dignity.

As you can probably tell, I have very mixed feelings about this. I think our society sets up black people for failure, then punish them for the crimes their upbringing and education disposes them to. We can do better, though I personally think government programs cause more trouble than they solve problems.