A Failure at Uvalde.
How a video made me upset about the “good guy with a gun” idea as a 2A supporter.
This is a very emotional rant. Some might consider it a waste of time and energy to read, or even an angry distraction. I accept that possibility and any pushback. Still, I had to get this off my chest.
A Dilemma
While I believe in the 2nd Amendment with great conviction (flaws and all), I’ve never been more truly disappointed with many 2A supporters who push the “good guy with a gun” idea after watching today’s video. I’m not claiming that the idea never works. Eli Dicken’s actions at Greenwood Park Mall in July 2022 are a real example of it working: a civilian, legally carrying a Glock 19 pistol, stopped an active shooter before officers arrived. But Uvalde, which happened two months before Greenwood, is the kind of failure that forces the hard question of what happens when armed responders hesitate to act.
What happens when good men with guns fail to act?
This rant isn’t coming from someone who opposes gun ownership. It’s coming from someone who defends the idea, who expects it to work, and is being shown undeniable evidence to the contrary.
I’m more disappointed by the individuals in this video than the NRA’s uber-right-wing stance (the 2nd Amendment should be championed by both sides of the political spectrum).
I’m more disappointed by these people than by Gov. Ronald Reagan’s Mulford Act, which banned open carry in California as a pushback against the Black Panthers arming themselves during police brutality monitoring patrols during the height of the Civil Rights Movement.
I just finished watching Police Insider’s lengthy video about the Robb Elementary school incident and I truly have a pit in my stomach. I knew about the Uvalde incident back when it happened in May 2022 and I was absolutely devastated by the news of the shooting. Now, I’m even more shocked from seeing the body cam footage and listening to testimonies from the officers and survivors.
I’ve attached the link to the video here. It’s a little over 2 hours but you’ll be shocked by its content: a recorded collection of hesitation, tactical mistakes, and lack of communication/accountability. Your blood pressure might rise and you’ll feel the kind of anger that is justified.
“Good Guys with Guns” Failing
My heart goes out to the families of the little ones who were lost in this heinous act of violence. As a somewhat new educator, seeing stuff like this truly breaks my heart. Kids and their teachers are supposed to feel safe at school. I would love to address or discuss certain measures that could lower the chance of events like Uvalde from happening in a later post.
No child should have such joyous thoughts about the end-of-year awards and summer vacation plans be interrupted by the sound and visual of 5.56 NATO rounds shot out of a Daniel Defense DDM4 V7 semi-automatic rifle.
What you’ll see in this video are the body cameras of officers waiting, arguing, heavy breathing, laughter, seeming confused, and much more, while the shooter continued to fire his rifle, which is difficult to describe as anything other than cowardice.
Officers with superior firepower and training shifting responsibility, failing to establish command and sharing incorrect information about the situation. Their mistakes allowed for the piece of shit gunman to continue his rampage for over an hour. You’ll hear words like “barricaded” and “contained” by officers about the positioning of the shooter and feel rage. This was an active shooter event, not a barricaded or cornered shooter. The shooter still fired upon innocent people, regardless of whether he was “contained”.
The worst moment of this video for me occurred at 27:12. The narrator informs the viewer that officers had stopped attempting to enter two classrooms (Rooms 111 and 112) to rescue trapped students. I paused the video and held back some tears. It’s difficult not to ask why more wasn’t done. Law enforcement had almost every advantage in this situation.
The tactical blunders of the “good guys with guns” in this horrific incident that most anti-2A supporters bring up in a discussion are hard to push back against. What can I say to defend the 2nd Amendment when these people in Uvalde police, Uvalde County Sheriff, or UCISD uniforms failed to place the lives of the innocent above their own lives?
Leave Your Damn Job… If You Won’t Run Towards Danger
376.
There were 376 “good guys with guns”, sworn to run towards danger to protect innocent lives, yet no one could establish a command structure, failing to protect them. Remember, there were 376 officers on the scene that day. Most of them probably had many years of experience in the field. That should raise questions as to why a command structure wasn’t established in a matter of minutes, even if there were multiple local, state, and federal agencies involved with their respective policies. The shooter likely could have been neutralized much sooner, especially with that many weapons pointed at him.
Most of the school based law enforcement would have received the Texas “Active Shooter Response for School-Based Law Enforcement” training, as per the requirement by Texas House Bill 2195 passed in 2019.
There’s a line in the aforementioned training that I want you to remember as you’re watching the video: “A first responder unwilling to place the lives of the innocent above their own safety should consider another career field,”.
Events like this can happen at any moment and an officer needs to accept the risk that may come in order to preserve lives.
Failing to file paperwork at an office might lead to missed deadlines or a blown sale, but failing to stop an active threat as law enforcement officials leads to deadly and preventable consequences.
I want to see interagency drills, a rapid command structure under pressure, accountability, and clearer active-shooter protocols.
Uvalde had an underfunded mental health system in place during the time of the shooting. Adequate mental health service funding can help tremendously. Better access to services might have given the family a chance to prevent this heinous attack. Mental health awareness is often overlooked in favor of stricter gun laws, despite the extensive research identifying risk factors and warning signs that perpetrators often exhibit. We’re quick to write the next law while ignoring said risk factors and signs.
These asks might not stop shootings from occurring, but they could reduce how often they occur.
Jacob Albarado: A Good Guy with a Gun
Before ending this rant, I want to give a shout-out to Jacob Albarado. He was the off-duty federal officer who borrowed his barber’s shotgun to rescue his wife (who worked as a school teacher) there and his daughter (who was a student). Albarado had no tactical gear (body armor), by the way. In fact, he helped evacuate students and teachers that were jumping out of windows.
This man displayed a level of courage that sadly wasn’t there when it was needed most. Jacob, you’re a damn hero. I know you probably heard that so many times but I’m telling you again.
Again, my heart goes out to the families who are still reeling from this tragedy almost 4 years later. Time doesn’t always heal the loss of a loved one, especially if that loved one had so many years to live and experience stripped away from them. I pray that you find the strength to keep going for the victims and survivors.
Be well and take care.
Your critique of the documentary is spot on. I read your past "rant" about weapons with a guarded reaction. Gun ownership is a right provided by the Bill of rights, BUT, our founding fathers never dreamed we would develop weapons that professional men are terrified of. I believe we need to restrict access to those guns. To me it is common sense, but to some people I am crushing their trigger finger. Continued success with your writings.