Monday, September 23, 2013

Michael Yon: When Concealed Carry Counts — The big difference is that one gunman can kill 20 unarmed people, but if they are armed and trained, he might get only 2 or 3

Michael Yon:
When Concealed Carry Counts: Massacre

Many people have said or strongly hinted that firearms related massacres only (or usually) happen in gun free zones. The statement that they openly make is that the attacks would not occur if the people were armed. This is completely false. We just had another Green on Blue in Afghanistan this week. Blue on Blue and Green on Blue often happen against heavily armed people.

The big difference is that one gunman will have a very hard time killing twenty armed people. He can kill twenty unarmed people, but if they are armed and trained, he might get two or three, or even ten if he is truly "good", but he will quickly be put down, chased off, or holed up in a defensive position. At minimum, he will be slowed, giving people a chance to escape.

But over in Norway, a single madman killed 77 unarmed people who did not fight back. If just one of those people had a pistol, the death toll might have been 10. We never will know.

Now in Nairobi, reports have it that 10-15 heavily armed terrorists have killed at least 68 so far. The terrorists have been pushed into defense. The final battle appears to be unfolding. My guess is that the Kenyans are taking back the mall piece by piece. It is a big mall so that takes time due to the complication of the hostages.

Images from the early stages of the attack show people with handguns. Clearly some people were fighting back early into the attack. But imagine a terrorist attack like this in a US state where guns are all but outlawed. 10-15 terrorists could kill hundreds.
See also: Another Mass Killing, Another Nutcase with Plenty of Warning Signs
and my extensive and dispassionate in-depth post on gun control:
What Is to Blame for the Connecticut Shooting?
Does the Blame Lie with the Right to Bear Arms Or Can It Be Found Elsewhere?