Lessons to be Learned from Taylorsville Shooting

   Push aside news of all the other shootings and learn from a little one in Taylorsville, Utah.
   No one died, so no news outside Utah.
   But, I wonder if there are lessons to be learned as much from this shooting as from any other.
   A man shows up at a birthday party, drunken, barefooted, and with a gun. The party's host talks him into leaving, and he does. The party's host then goes to talk to a neighbor, who is a concealed carry permit holder. As they talk, the unwelcome man returns, an argument ensues, the man points his gun -- and the neighbor shoots him.
   The story exemplifies the notion that some people shouldn't have guns. The man was drunken. Certainly you do not want a drunken person to be carrying a gun around. But, what if he had been sober? Would it have been okay for him to be bringing the gun? The party host still would have been within rights to ask him to leave. But, what if the party host was alright with the man having the gun, as long as he wasn't intoxicated? Would it then be a good thing -- and safe -- that the man brought his gun?
  That would depend on what the man intended to do with the gun, wouldn't it? If he were just hauling around the gun in case he should need it for self defense, perhaps having the gun is okay. But, even then, be careful. If the man knew he sometimes gets in arguments, and was wanting the gun to give him the one-up in such situations, he might rationalize he was carrying it for self defense. If you get in fights, the gun can be seen as your self defense.
   Bottom line is, Some people should not have guns. We should be drawing lines and leaving some people out when it comes to the right to bear guns.
   Gun-free zones? That's another question this story broaches. Should a birthday party be a gun-free zone? Or, to the contrary, should guns be encouraged? Should we make sure someone at the party has a gun, just in case a criminal comes and someone needs to shoot him down? What would become of little parties such as this, if a number of people stepped into the role of defenders, and all came packing heat?
   For my part, I think those are parties I would leave. You can argue guns are needed for self defense, but having a number of guns present only escalates the danger of one being used. I do not think I would like to be going to parties, or other gatherings (including church), where a number of guns are present. Count me out.