It was a stressful afternoon to say the least. My wife works at one of the dental clinics on Ft. Sill. She texted me this afternoon around 1:00 PM and said that somebody had just called and made the statement that he was going to shoot up the clinic and kill everyone inside. The caller also made other statements such as wanting to kill anybody associated with the FBI, CIA, and other military personnel. Obviously, the clinic was put on an immediate lockdown. I stayed in constant contact with her for about the next hour. Apparently, there was some kind of mixup between emergency dispatch and the MP’s because it took about 25 minutes for the MP’s to arrive at the clinic. Once they arrived, the parking lot and clinic were cleared of any immediate threat. They remained on lockdown for about 2 more hours after the clinic was cleared. During this time, I had so many thoughts running through my head. Above all else, I am thankful that nothing happened and my wife is safe and at home now. Why would somebody make such a threat on a dental clinic? Was it a disgruntled employee or patient? A dental clinic is obviously not a high value target. Is she safe going to work tomorrow or the next day or the next day after that?
I can only assume the individual that made the threat is not mentally balanced, and it really made me think about our 2A rights. I strongly support the second amendment, and I’m not a proponent of any laws that weaken our ability to own firearms. With that being said, I also empathize with folks that have lost loved ones in senseless mass shootings. I can understand the sentiment from these folks wanting stricter gun laws. If I had lost my wife today to a mentally unstable individual committing a mass shooting, I honestly don’t know if I wouldn’t be the same as others that have lost loved ones. There has been some recent discussion my members on here about what can be done. There’s no easy answers. I have no idea what the answer is that both protects our rights and reduces this kind of violence. I do think that we should be proactive in helping find a solution, but I don’t know where to begin.
I can only assume the individual that made the threat is not mentally balanced, and it really made me think about our 2A rights. I strongly support the second amendment, and I’m not a proponent of any laws that weaken our ability to own firearms. With that being said, I also empathize with folks that have lost loved ones in senseless mass shootings. I can understand the sentiment from these folks wanting stricter gun laws. If I had lost my wife today to a mentally unstable individual committing a mass shooting, I honestly don’t know if I wouldn’t be the same as others that have lost loved ones. There has been some recent discussion my members on here about what can be done. There’s no easy answers. I have no idea what the answer is that both protects our rights and reduces this kind of violence. I do think that we should be proactive in helping find a solution, but I don’t know where to begin.
