"...There are ways to handle situations, and guns are never the solution..."  um, you're half right.  There are ways to handle situations, yes.  But guns are SOMETIMES the solution.  ...speaking from a rural area of Minnesota, we love our guns. Our legislators know it, too.  I was admiring the patience of the police in this situation. Also in today's headline is another about a 12-hour standoff  (this paper's home page). That's patient. Other things can be done, such as having the utility company turn off electricity  or water; send a relative or friend to try talking to the person, etc. Patience (when there are no hostages in danger), kindness (have a pizza delivered, let them make the call & choose the kind pf pizza) can really help... but sometimes, guns ARE the solution. Which is why we arm our police.