Heck, nevermind being stopped. If he was using an axe or a knife, people could have run away. It's not like those things are lethal at 15 feet.

I was explaining that very concept to my son over the weekend. If you hit someone with your fist, you've got be within arm's length. Armed with a knife, still within arm's length but with increased lethality. Use a bat, you gain distance. With an axe, distance and lethality. And with a gun, you maximize distance and maximize lethality.

A gun dramatically increases the range from which you can inflict harm while at the same time minimizing the risk to your own person. In the wrong hands, an extremely lethal combination.

Or mentally ill.

One last thought on this matter.  My friends got drunk one night, a long time ago, and the 'responsible' gun owner (now impared by alcohol) took out his muzzle loader and starting playing games with his BEST friend where they were shooting cigarette butts at each other.  Friend one killed friend two when a cigarette butt penetrated his chest.  True story.  Horrible accident.  Friend one went to prison.

This is the main reason I do not have guns in my house, and I'm not sure if I ever will.  However, I have NO EXPLANATION as to why it is still my opinion that owning guns, like Al Cook does, should be his choice, not mine.

Sometimes I wish I could say NO ONE should have ANY of them, often really, but I feel that there are enough opinons and excuses out there, like Al should have them but Americans shouldn't, or only shotguns should be allowed... for hunting or target shooting (like my firend owned), or no hand guns or automatic weapons, or the huge fact that there are so many guns out there that belong to the most vile people that I cannot put my love of liberty aside to take that position.

Yet, anyway, but I'm listening...

That's fatuous logic. If one child's life is "too high a price" for your individual right to bear arms put your money where your mouth is. Or try this -- apply facts and rationality to your desicion; more people are killed by a family members' gun than by a gun employed by a stranger or a home intruder. If you have a child there is greater chance that child will be harmed or die from your gun than anyone elses. Give up your gun and the one child's life you may save is your own.

If all gun owners applied this simple logical excercise and rationally balanced the risks the number of dead children would decrease.