As we all have heard by now Representative Giffords was holding a meet and greet with her constituents Saturday morning in front of a supermarket when she was critically wounded by Jared Loughner who shot her in the head.  Loughner continued to shoot others as he attempted to flee the scene.

For the next couple of days we will hear all types of explanations on why Loughner would commit such a horrific act?  Along with what political ideology/rhetoric fueled him.

Figuring out why this happened is VERY important, BUT what is equally important is how we as a society respond to this incident.

So far the response has been less than desired for my taste.  Minutes after the shooting just about every political pundit and political news show host were vying for position… digging in protecting their political interest.

Rush Limbaugh is a perfect example of the type of political posturing taking place since the shooting,

“What Mr. Loughner knows is that he has the full support of a major political party in this country. He’s sitting there in jail. He knows what’s going on, he knows that…the Democrat party is attempting to find anybody but him to blame. He knows if he plays his cards right, he’s just a victim. He’s the latest in a never-ending parade of victims brought about by the unfairness of America…this guy clearly understands he’s getting all the attention and he understands he’s got a political party doing everything it can, plus a local sheriff doing everything that they can to make sure he’s not convicted of murder – but something lesser.”

Limbaugh’s response to this incident is to be expected as he is a political blow-hard; what I wasn’t expecting was the response from Congressman Heath Schuler and many others like him…

Congressmen/women when in Washington D.C. and doing business on the hill are protected by the Capitol Police.  The shooting of Gabrielle Giffords has sparked a new debate…

What type of protection should congressmen/women receive outside of Washington D.C.?

In this heightened political environment there is reason for concern, but Schuler’s solution could possibly make matters worse.

Since the shooting, Schuler has stated that he will look to carry a licensed gun with him when making appearance similar to the meet and greet Giffords was conducting.  I understand Schuler wanting to protect himself from threats but this is NOT going to improve the situation.  Schuler as well as other members of congress are also talking about arming their staffs.

This is insanity!!!

Becoming a gun totting society is not the answer here… and arming a geeky staffer is DEFINITELY not the answer.  In all honesty and I am Not trying to be funny here but Heath Schuler could barely stand in the pocket with defensive lineman bearing down on him, do we really want him carrying a gun at a crowded event?

The shooting of Gabrielle Giffords was a scary moment for all of us, but the last thing we need to do is revert back to the Wild Wild West!

I am not going to sit here and act like I have all the answers, but I know for sure that arming senators and representatives is not the answer.

Let’s all take a step back and think about this before we act!