What do people who have actually been under fire think of the "Only a good guy with a gun can stop a bad guy with a gun" argument?

MSgt George Cater — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 10:34:35 -0500

Response by SGM Erik Marquez made Jan 16 at 2017 10:37 AM

SGM Erik Marquez — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 10:37:49 -0500

"Only a good guy with a gun can stop a bad guy with a gun"

I don't know anyone that thinks that.
I do know many that think a good guy with a gun can stop a bad guy with a gun.
Subtle difference, but different it is.

Every month we read of a good guy with a gun that stopped a bad guy with a gun...so that is fact, not opinion.

But good guys with hands, knees, and feet have stopped a bad guy with a gun as well.
Good guy with a cell phone have stopped a bad guy with a gun..
ect ect ect

Response by SSgt Terry P. made Jan 16 at 2017 10:39 AM

SSgt Terry P. — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 10:39:10 -0500

MSgt George Cater Resolves the situation.

Response by SGT William Howell made Jan 16 at 2017 10:50 AM

SGT William Howell — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 10:50:25 -0500

Rule number one of a gun fight. Bring a gun.

Response by PO2 Robert M. made Jan 16 at 2017 11:05 AM

PO2 Robert M. — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 11:05:45 -0500

I was amazed that a local Peace and Police officer ( off duty, of course carrying ) was roasted by certain areas of the press because he went into a "no guns allowed" mall. Well, that HERO saved many people because he there was a nutcase who was wearing a "security" uniform and running around slashing people with a big knife. I was shocked that a HERO was attacked by some press members because he carried a side arm into a mall!, and then the nerve of the hero, stopping a possible slaughter in a mall.
here is the story:
https://bearingarms.com/bob-o/2016/09/19/man-shot-crossroads-mall-terrorist-uspsa-competitor-3-gun-shooter

Man Who Shot Crossroads Mall Terrorist Is USPSA Competitor, 3-Gun Shooter

It's almost as if the media is attempting to cover up the fact that creating and training armed citizens is a major part of the man who took out the terrorist in a MN mall this weekend.

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Jan 16 at 2017 11:08 AM

CAPT Kevin B. — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 11:08:11 -0500

Limiting question in itself. I'll open it up to how much more effective is a good guy with a gun vs. anything else you got going? You then get to take a look at everything else that (ultimately) stops the bad guy. One one end, bad guy running out of ammo, gets bored and stops, whatever. Other end, Robocops everywhere. So the good guy is somewhere in between. For those who decry a good guy solution, I'll say show me something as good or better. Do good guys make a mistake? Sometimes. Still, show me something as good or better. Because of it, I'm around to go into old codger mode on RP every now and then.

Response by Cpl Joshua Caldwell made Jan 16 at 2017 11:13 AM

Cpl Joshua Caldwell — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 11:13:35 -0500

That is a fair statement of the situation. The question comes down to, do you need to call a good guy (the police) or do you happen to have one on site at the time of the incident. If the sane members of the public were to take more responsibility for their own personal safety, then the mass shooting incidents would trend towards being a lot less massive. This is all predicated on the political class not passing laws that disarm the victims.

Response by SMSgt Thor Merich made Jan 16 at 2017 11:19 AM

SMSgt Thor Merich — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 11:19:34 -0500

Because bringing a knife to a gun fight is just irresponsible.

Response by SSgt Christopher Brose made Jan 16 at 2017 2:04 PM

SSgt Christopher Brose — Mon, 16 Jan 2017 14:04:10 -0500

A good guy with a gun is absolutely the best chance there is of prematurely stopping a bad guy with a gun who is in the process of shooting people. As SGM Erik Marquez noted, good guys can perhaps stop a shooter using means other than a gun, but there are limited circumstances in which that is possible. Those good guys must be reasonably fit, and be close enough in proximity without having been shot, and attack the bad guy during a reload or other pause and/or when the bad guy's attention is focused on something in a different direction.

In most mass-shooting situations, the only option most people have are to run and/or hide, because law-abiding citizens aren't carrying due to the gun-free zone they are in. So the earliest opportunity for a good guy with a gun to address the situation is when the cops arrive. The problem is the response time. Every minute of delay equals more people dying. That's why gun-free zones are an inherently evil thing in this country, whenever the entity establishing the gun-free zone does not provide good security for the disarmed people entering it.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 17 at 2017 3:59 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 17 Jan 2017 15:59:12 -0500

Has nothing to do with good guy vs bad guy. I do not want to rely on anybody else for my or my families defense.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 21 at 2017 10:51 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 21 Jan 2017 22:51:48 -0500