Two shootings have been in the national news this week.

In one, a private citizen took responsibility for his own safety and the safety of those around him.  Where others were confused or cowered, he stood up and drove off two miscreants intent on robbery and mayhem.  He delivered aimed and deliberate shots at threats until they stopped being a threat.

In the other, a whackjob planned and executed an ambush of innocent men and women for no apparent rational reason other than the fact that it was in his power to do so.  He fired indiscriminately into a dark theater with no thought as to the suffering he was causing, and destroyed the lives of many.

In both instances, a gun was the tool used to achieve a goal.  The gentleman in Florida used that tool to protect innocent life, including his own.  In Colorado, guns were used to bring harm to the innocent.

The difference between the incidents was that the person with the gun was a good example of a human being in one, and was a waste of protein in the other.

When we choose to own and carry a gun, we assume a responsibility that, to be honest, frightens me sometimes.  By saying “I am responsible for me and mine”, I am stating that if push comes to shove, I am willing to bring violence in a rather explosive manner upon anyone who either harms us or makes me believe that they are about to.  I also have the responsibility to never make a mistake with that tool.  There are no do-overs, no excuses, and no repayment for the harm a mistake can make.  I do not fear my guns, but I do respect the obligation using them places upon me.

The trash who shot up the theater in Aurora completely shirked his responsibility as a gun owner and as a human being.  He caused pain and suffering among his victims and their families that will linger for a lifetime, and he has reinvigorated the anti-gun debate for months to come.  Some will use this as a cudgel to beat down gun-rights advocates, others will use it to wave a bloody shirt for a very long time.  Some sick individuals will even begin to think that violence against the innocent and undefended is a perfectly fine way to spend an evening.

Either we own guns to defend life, or we own guns to take it.  As gun owners, we have to decide which side of the argument we want to fall on.  Pick your side.  I’ll be over here ready to defend what is dear to me.