THE SHOOTING DRILL
My 2013 year-end review focused on the in progress Cape Fear, SC law that would make gun conceal and carry permits issued by county sheriffs in South Carolina equivalent to a state handgun license and prohibit the carrying of loaded or concealed weapons in “sensitive places” like parks, libraries, schools, etc. We also ran a feature on what the White House was doing to address guns and school safety.
I recall a drill at The Washington Post’s national security desk, in which the staff — myself included — had to track down two crazed former detainees in a courtroom in the South Carolina state capitol building. They had tried to rush and kill staff. The studio was instructed to not let any reporters “run, hide or fight.”
Whatever went through my mind on this test of cunning and courage, I can say with certainty that the next day’s story on the shooting that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary, was near the top of the same day’s work.