I must say, I find this way of thinking somewhat bizarre. Certainly, one could argue that there would be more accidents/shootings/suicides if more people carried in general (although this isn’t borne out by the data). Likewise, one could argue that nightclubs are bad venues for concealed- or open-carriers because they are dark and loud, and because people tend to drink a lot and/or take drugs while inside them. But those are aggregate, not specific arguments. When one gets to the specifics, can one really say with a straight face that the victims at Pulse wouldn’t have been better placed had one or more of them had been armed?

According to the Miami Herald’s minute-by-minute report, the killer roamed with impunity for more than three hours. At various stages he stopped shooting and walked around; from time to time he searched the areas in which people were hiding; and, at one point at least, he put down his gun and washed his face.