Armed Citizens Saved Lives In Gun Store Shooting

Well, it was bound to happen.

On a long enough timeline, there will likely be a mass shooting at just about any type of place. Now there was one at a gun store. There goes our counter of, “If guns are so dangerous, why are there no mass shootings at gun stores?”

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Now there has been. Three people were killed at a Louisianna gun store. For most people, that’s enough to call it a mass shooting.

However, that really just touches on the surface of what happened. You see, while we often say mass shootings don’t happen at gun stores and it did, anti-gunners say armed citizens don’t stop mass shootings…and they did.

Armed citizens were credited with limiting fatalities in a shooting in Louisiana on Saturday that left three people dead, including the suspect, according to authorities.

The outburst, at a gun store and range just down the road from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, also left two people wounded, according to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office.

“Arriving deputies located several victims suffering from gunshot wounds,” the sheriff said in a statement. “Three individuals were pronounced dead on the scene, and two more were transported to a local hospital for treatment. The two transported victims are in stable condition.”

It happened near a gun shop and shooting range on Airline Drive in Metairie, La., just west of New Orleans, and the armed people at the scene helped subdue the gunman, according to authorities.

“At this time, it appears a suspect shot two victims inside the location, then was engaged and shot outside the location by multiple other individuals,” the sheriff’s statement continued. “The suspect is one of the deceased on scene.”

Employees at the Jefferson Gun Outlet typically carry sidearms at the facility, but it was not immediately clear whether the good Samaritans were customers, outlet employees or other individuals.

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Additionally, there was a concealed carry class taking place at the store, it seems. At least one of the instructors moved toward the sounds of gunshots, though it’s unclear if he was actually involved in the confrontation.

Of course, while this is the first such shooting at a gun store, it’s far from the first time an armed citizens has stopped or prevented a mass shooting.

Stephen Williford put an end to the violence at a church in Sutherland Springs, TX when he engaged the shooter with his own AR-15.

Jack Wilson put an end to a rampage before it really got going with a well-placed shot, dropping the killer during a shooting in White Settlement, TX.

And those are just two of the better-known examples.

Time and time again, armed citizens thwart crimes, including mass shootings. However, mass shootings represent only a tiny fraction of crimes committed, so even if armed citizens never stopped them, it wouldn’t mean that guns don’t save lives. They do each and every year, easily outpacing firearm-related homicides, thus making it a winning proposition to have armed citizens in as many places as possible.

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What happened in Louisianna is that the killer apparently had a serious fault in his victim-selection process and got precisely what he deserved in the first place. That sure looks like a win for the rest of humanity, that’s for sure.

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Bearing Arms Staff 10:45 AM | November 04, 2024