No one is coming to save you

The mass shooting at a Uvalde, TX elementary school more than 3-1/2 years ago resulted in 19 children and 2 teachers being killed. The most galling aspect is the number of atrocities could have been mitigated were it not for the lackadaisical response of law enforcement. Said response was so atrocious that one officer in particular stood trial recently for basically being derelict in his duty. 

Given there have been several cases adjudicated before the U.S. Supreme Court where justices essentially ruled citizens have no inherent right to law enforcement protection, I'm not surprised this Uvalde case was decided as it was. 

A former Uvalde school police officer is speaking out after he was acquitted on all counts nearly four years after the shooting at Robb Elementary School that left 19 students and two teachers dead.

Adrian Gonzales, who was charged with 29 counts of child abandonment or endangerment tied to the shooting, said in his first interview since the acquittal that he has no regrets about the actions he took on May 24, 2022.

The jury deliberated for just seven hours before returning the verdict. Gonzales did not take the stand during the trial, while his attorneys brought up two witnesses.

An investigation found that it took 77 minutes from the time authorities arrived at the scene until the tactical team breached a classroom and killed the shooter. Police faced criticism over their response in the years since the shooting.

"You can sit here and tell me all you want about what I would have done, or what you would have done. Until you're in that mix, you can't tell me anything," Gonzales told ABC News.

Gonzales was the first on the scene at Robb Elementary School when 18-year-old Salvador Ramos carried out his deadly attack. The former school police officer told ABC News that he did not see Ramos and that he retreated from inside the school building because of an order from his commanding officer.

"I did the best that I could with the information I was getting," he said, adding, "I don't regret it, because I took an order from my chief at that time."

This is a reminder of how we must be prepared for the distinct possibility that no one is coming to save you in such a crisis. And this should also serve as motivation to be eternally vigilant against persistent calls for gun control. Self defense is absolutely a human right and the situation in Uvalde should always serve as a reminder that gun rights advocates can't given even one inch in this debate. 

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