Europeans in the 1300s lived in constant fear of the Black Death. In the days before Dr. Walter Reed and his groundbreaking research, Americans panicked at the thought that yellow fever would come sweeping through their town. Throughout the centuries, people across the world have dreaded the possibility of one frightening malady or another.

The latest fear is not over a virus or bacteria. The latest fear, sadly, is manmade. The threat of random gun violence has become the new Black Death.

School shootings. Terrorist attacks. Workplace incidents. Hate crimes. Each day, they have become more and more commonplace. Turn on the evening news, and you’ll probably hear about another mass shooting. They seem to take place on a daily basis.

As a result, we have become desensitized to it. And, at the same time, we live in fear that this disease will spread to our town … to friends we know … to our loved ones.

What is the solution? Some propose that more people should be ar...