The Times Is Right - And Doesn't Notice

Three unarmed Americans and one Briton who foiled a terrorist attack on a high-speed French train by tackling the gunman were awarded a medal by French President Francois Hollande.

The New York Times stated the problem admirably:

More than 40 million Europeans travel by train every day on more than 100,000 trains. Unlike airports, major train stations are open areas, accessible to all. Many trains serve smaller stations that are little more than platforms along open track. Passengers' identification and luggage are not regularly checked before boarding for travel within Europe.

They got that right - and then admitted that the only "solution" they propose won't even work:

Enhanced security measures may never be enough, given the sheer number of militant suspects on the Continent as well as a wide field of potential targets embracing not only the railways but any number of public spaces. Yet however formidable the task, renewed efforts to increase public safety must be made.

The history of mass shootings shows that terrorists may be crazy, but they aren't stupid - they prefer places where government has disarmed their victims.  The Sandy Hook Shooter shot up a school, which was a declared gun-free zone as well as a drug-free zone.  Neither of those rules stopped him.

The movie theater shooter who was recently convicted drove past two theaters until he found one which had posted signs asking patrons not to bring their guns.

The New York Police Department under previous mayors used "stop and frisk" to take guns away from bad guys.  The homicide rate and the shooting rate have both gone up since Mayor DeBlasio forced the police to back off.

Chicago has stricter gun laws than New York, and its homicide rate is higher.  Coincidence?  Of course not, but nobody's allowed to state the obvious - someone might learn a lesson the powers that be would rather they didn't.  As a result, we get imitators of failure: the Baltimore murder rate shot up after the mayor instructed the police to give the rioters "a little space" and they complied.

There's no excuse for the New York Times missing the solution. Gun control is known not to work.  On p. A13 of the November 23 issue of the Wall Street Journal, an article "Second Amendment Showdown" discussed the ban on private handguns which Washington, DC instituted in 1976:

Crime rose significantly after the gun ban went into effect.  In the five years before the 1976 ban, the murder rate fell to 27 from 37 per 100,000.  In the five years after it went into effect, the murder rate rose to 35.

The French are "investigating" their railroad shooter, but the secret of safety was and is crime prevention, not crime investigation.  Our courts recognize this.  Over and over, American courts have ruled that the police have no obligation at all to protect anyone from crime, all they're required to do is to try to clean up the mess afterward.

The Times admits that the police can't be everywhere.  As has been obvious for a long time, if we want protection, we'll have to protect ourselves.  Get out there and buy a gun!