As an M-60 18-year-old machine gunner in Vietnam, I fought in many firefights. My weapon caused many deaths of NVA soldiers, but not one can be blamed on the machine gun; it was all on my shoulders, the one that activated the tool. I can assue you that some men were killed in firefights by some friendly fire; the chaos is so great that I wouldn’t be surprised at any number.

We in Vietnam, primarily very young, were all armed, dangerous, and with many fist fights and just ordinary arguments, but with everyone armed, no one shot and killed someone else. So the weapons played no part in fighting each other but could instantly be used to kill the enemy. So it is very plain to see that the guns are not the problem and sane people are not the problem, but insanity is always in play

How do we end the insanity of other humans? There Is only one way to be armed. Protection, as was discovered in the Texas school massacre with hundreds of police standing down as shots were fired, proves that, in reality, the only protection you have is self-protection. The men that ended this were not the police but the border guards that had kids in the school.

It matters not how many guns we have but how many guns we have to protect each other and the training to be safe and ready. We in Vietnam were all armed and trained, willing to fight to protect each other. The gift of safeguarding life in battle or civilian populations is a precious gift. Criminals that realize they will pay the ultimate price in failure may choose a different direction.

“Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results.”