How are we to defend against Paris style attacks from happening?

I think that the whole country just needs to really be serious about security and not just thinking that it cannot happen to us. Look at 9/11, no one thought it could happen to us.
People get complacent and they get frustrated by all the extra security around and once they don't see anything bad happening they start to complain about all the unnecessary precautions being taken.
We need to keep a higher level of security because the terrorists are wiling to die to get their statement out there and blowing up civilians is the best way for them.
Keep the vigilance up don't let our guard down.

We learned some time ago that we can't prevent similar attacks. The Colorado movie theater shooting is a prime example.

I like what Capt. Porter said. but I am also aware that our civ pop has been so insulated from this and are thoroughly unprepared. I would like to see all cvivs who are armed pass a small arms training cert class and coordinate with a sr retired military liaise in their respective communities.. to coordinate and drill a response plan. Achmed has his own intel and the better prepared our civilian pop. is the less likely they are to die when the attack comes, which i have no doubt will happen because we are not prepared and are so politically polarized that we identify first as party affiliates and second as American. It is a sad state of affairs IMO.
Thanks for serving, devil dog!
Yer pal,
Sean

allowing concealed carry into places like concerts would help deter attacks and making concealed carry an opinion for all vets certainly help stop jihadists in their tracks from looking for hostages.

It's only a matter of time before it starts here.

Allow the citizens to be armed. Promote responsible gun ownership, and good foundation for conceal carry training to general public. Also do what big government do best, defend the border.

Even with all the above ... we still only manage to reduce the "death" ...

I guess we must go in and kill them all at their place too ....

A vigilant attitude and citizens who are armed. Paris doesn't have armed citizens. If they did, maybe a few with weapons could have made a difference. Instead, they were totally helpless.

One thing that would have helped is the techniques the NSA used before that traitor Edward Snowden published Top Secret documents regarding the program. Now our enemies - and frenemies - know those information gathering methods and are avoiding them.

I understand the idea of privacy, but would you rather have the NSA spying on electronic messages, phone calls, etc... and be able to intercept planning for attacks like this or would you prefer to have total privacy but be rolling the dice as to there being a like attack in the US?

I'm not sure defending against a coordinated near simultaneous attack at 6 different locations is possible. With better SIGINT and HUMINT we can, at best, foil an attack as has happened several times already. Unfortunately, we are getting very good at responding to active shooters in the US, but that response won't do much good against an improvised explosive device attack at a large public gathering or event. Really, the only way to slow the rate of killing when dealing with determined suicidal attackers is to do what A1C (now SSgt.) Spencer Stone and his boys did on that train or what the passengers did on United flight 93. Bum rush the attackers and fight for your lives. Sadly, I don't think most people have that kind of courage.

Look up Dr. Edwin Vieira. We need to revitalize the institution of the Constitutional Militia. I'm talking about an official State institution comprising every able bodied adult from the age of 16 to 60, armed, organized, and trained to effectively handle threats to 'homeland security'.