As America panics following yet another terrorist attack in yet another "gun-free zone," the inevitable occurs: the left calls for guns to be banned and for more ineffective regulations to be passed.  These measures haven't worked in the past, and they won't work in the future.

Instead, America should be focused on another path: let's make our country safer by deputizing America.

Admit it: when driving through a high-crime neighborhood, you feel safer with a police car driving next to you.  When taking the subway late at night, the sight of a transit policeman with his trusty German Shepherd makes the trip less stressful.  And the thought of a sky marshall protecting your plane at 30,000 feet is comforting, even if you don't know who he is or where he is sitting.

Now, picture if the U.S. had 3,000,000 more properly trained, thoroughly screened defenders around the country.  Think how comforting it would be if there were several armed, trusted individuals protecting each high school building...a hundred or more on each college campus.  How would things have turned out if there were trained and armed individuals in the Pulse nightclub in Orlando?

In an era of soaring murder rates in our big cities and accelerating radical Islamic attacks across the country, such a vision could become a reality if, rather than trying to disarm your trusted friends and neighbors, the country embraced them.

What if, rather than debating whether to reinstate the ridiculously flawed and statistically useless 2004 Assault Weapon Ban, Congress approved a "Public Defender" law allowing citizens who meet specific criteria to carry their weapons anywhere and at any time?  Once trained and certified, these card-carrying Public Defenders would be allowed to protect not only themselves, but their neighbors whenever and wherever a dangerous situation arose.  Much like police officers, qualified individuals would be permitted to bring their weapons into buildings currently labeled gun-free.  Those qualified under the federal program could carry their weapons throughout the country without having to navigate the ridiculous maze of state regulations currently in place. 

I am not suggesting that these individuals have the power to issue speeding tickets or make arrests.  But by being allowed to carry their weapons into current gun-free zones – or cities, or states – they would have the power to defend against evil if encountered.  Much like sheriffs in the old west, deputized trusted citizens when overwhelmed by criminals or threats, our country would call for trusted citizens to assist its under-resourced police units in protecting citizens against increasing lethal threats.

Effectively, under this plan, our country would change its focus from passing regulations that limit good guys from protecting others to passing a law that encourages good guys to protect their neighbors.

Of course, to secure the hypothetical Public Defender permit, applicants would need to meet a high threshold.  Let's start with simple requirements such as those instituted by many urban police forces.  Individuals must be at least 21 years of age, have no criminal history, have no history of domestic abuse, have no drug use or addictions, have attained a high school diploma or GED, and have good eyesight and general health. 

Layer onto those requirements added trust-builders that are also required in most of our law enforcement officers: pass a polygraph test, successfully complete an interview, and pass a psychological assessment.

And, most importantly, of course, pass testing in firearms knowledge, safety, and proficiency.

What reasonable person – other than the most ardent of left-leaning true believers – could possibly believe that having well-trained, well-screened, well-adjusted citizens being armed to protect others is a bad idea?  It would be like having a few million more police officers focused on protecting our citizens, only without the cost.

According to the Crime Prevention Research Center (crimesearch.org), currently there are nearly 13 million concealed carry permit holders in the U.S.  This represents 5.2% of U.S. adults.  In some states, including my home of Indiana, more than 10% of adults are licensed to carry concealed.

Nationally, this total would be dramatically higher if federal law superseded draconian laws in left-leaning states.  Currently, concealed carry rates in high-population states such as California (0.12%), New York (0.09%), Illinois (0.34%), New Jersey (0.02%), and Maryland (0.31%) are nearly nonexistent, since laws effectively stop individuals from defending themselves.  If carry percentages in those states rose to the national average due to the Public Defender program, over 4 million more concealed carry permits would be issued.

And if only 20% of concealed carry permit holders applied and were qualified via the Public Defender program, there would be more than 3 million good guys allowed to protect us.  Soft targets would evaporate, as a terrorist would no longer know he was the only armed person in a building.  And even if an attack occurred, deaths and injuries would be decreased with Public Defenders in the area.

It isn't hard to picture whom these individuals might include: your college business professor, your grade school 's nurse, the National Guard member tending bar at a nightclub, the retired Navy SEAL who works in your office.  Heck, maybe even your God-fearing pastor, who literally does want to cling to both his Bible and his gun.  These aren't people we should fear; these are the people we should thank and trust and deploy.

Of course, the left would hate this idea.  They would undoubtedly claim that Public Defenders would create more risks and equate such a program with vigilantism.  But such arguments would be disingenuous, as the program would require that Public Defenders be trained, screened, and well qualified.  They would be citizens we could trust.  They are citizens we should trust.

Members of the right might also object under the theory that the 2nd Amendment should give Americans the right to carry their weapons everywhere without such special licensing.

But now is not the time for more philosophical debates that go nowhere.  As lone wolf terrorism expands and as inner-city violence soars, we need action to address the expanding threats.  Now is the time to empower our trusted friends and neighbors.  Now is the time to "deputize" good Americans in our fight against violence and terrorism.

John L. Podczerwinski, a proud concealed carry permit holder, recently retired after serving as President of De-Sta-Co  Industries.  He earned his MBA from the University of Chicago and his B.S. in accounting from the University of Dayton. His columns have been published in numerous sites including American Thinker and The Federalist.