Interpol Secretary General Talks ‘Armed Citizenry’

Following last month’s al-Shabab attack at a shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble, in an interview with ABC News, said the US and the rest of the democratic world is at a “security crossroads”. He said that there are only two choices for protecting open societies from these types of attacks: either create secure perimeters around the locations or allow civilians to carry their own guns to protect themselves.

“Societies have to think about how they’re going to approach the problem,” Noble said. “One is to say we want an armed citizenry; you can see the reason for that. Another is to say the enclaves are so secure that in order to get into the soft target you’re going to have to pass through extraordinary security.”

Indeed. Noble then went on:

“How do you protect soft targets? That’s really the challenge. You can’t have armed police forces everywhere. It’s Interpol’s view that one way you protect soft targets is you make it more difficult for terrorist to move internationally. So what we’re trying to do is to establish a way for countries … to screen passports, which are a terrorist’s best friend, try to limit terrorists moving from country to country. And also, that we’re able to share more info about suspected terrorists.”

“Ask yourself: If that was Denver, Colorado, if that was Texas, would those guys have been able to spend hours, days, shooting people randomly? What I’m saying is it makes police around the world question their views on gun control. It makes citizens question their views on gun control. You have to ask yourself, ‘Is an armed citizenry more necessary now than it was in the past with an evolving threat of terrorism?’ This is something that has to be discussed.”

“For me it’s a profound question,” he continued. “People are quick to say ‘gun control, people shouldn’t be armed,’ etc., etc. I think they have to ask themselves: ‘Where would you have wanted to be? In a city where there was gun control and no citizens armed if you’re in a Westgate mall, or in a place like Denver or Texas?'”

It’s a simple question for those of you who are for gun control – where would you rather be when the wolves are at the door? Would you rather be in a city like Houston with a heavily armed populace, or a city like New York where the people are largely disarmed?

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