Where are the guns?

Secret arsenals allow the violent and the criminal among us to strike without warning. The simple ownership of a gun is not in itself a predictor of dangerous intent, but when multiple factors intersect, the probability of violence becomes palpable. In such cases, silence is itself criminal. Such factors include

• a history of violent behavior, publicly or domestically
• making verbal threats or engaging in threatening physical intimidation
• publication of hateful or threatening materials on line or in print
• assertion of the right to harm others to achieve some personal end or rectify some supposed wrong in lieu of pursuing normal legal remedies
• possession of ammunition beyond any reasonable purpose and/or capacity to employ such ammunition
• carrying weapons into tense situations
• et cetera

Wherever two or more of these factors intersect, families, friends, neighbors and citizens have a right to protect themselves, and the state should intervene to remove the potential for violence, including confiscation of weapons. Specifically, there should be No Secret Guns!