BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA — A 19-year-old man was identified by police after he was shot and killed by a single round fired from his intended victim. The deceased suspect and an accomplice attempted to rob a man on the street. That man ended up having a gun of his own and fired the single shot that killed Kylin Spencer.
As WAFB News reports, Baton Rouge police arrived at the scene to discover Spencer fatally wounded. They got him to a local hospital where he died as a result of his injury. Neither the shooter nor the accomplice were identified but the police are believed to know the identity of both.
It’s possible to live in a society where it’s safe to walk down the street at 10 p.m. It really is possible. No one should have to worry about walking down a darkened street no matter where that street is located. It’s only when criminals believe they have free run of an area that they attempt to exert force on otherwise law-abiding citizens.
The cure? Carry a concealed handgun.
There will never be a shortage of young men who either due to a bad upbringing or poor choices in their own lives, take up an illegal gun and attempt to rob, shoot, or kill regular folks. Even if guns didn’t exist, that class of person always would.
However, the more law-abiding, responsible concealed carriers walk the streets, the more opportunity there is to build a lingering reputation that lawlessness and violence make for short careers.
It takes everyone. Every person who is legally, mentally, and physically able to carry a gun should honestly consider it. It takes a little bit of training, a lot of situational awareness, and carrying a loaded handgun every single day, everywhere that person is legally able to do so.
The lessons will be slow to develop. Hardened criminals will keep pushing young fools to do things they shouldn’t be doing. But when word gets out that most of the ones going out to do these violent, illegal errands don’t come back, a stigma will form. This won’t dissuade every bad guy but it will certainly drive a point home. More importantly, it takes the levity straight out.
No more, “oh, it’s just a robbery, turn your pockets and he won’t hurt you.”
No more, “you know the drill.”
That’s not a society worth preserving. We can do better. It starts with getting that permit, getting the training, developing the mindset, and carrying every single day, everywhere you go.