In our last blog post, we discussed how we get better at the skills necessary for self defense with a handgun. This week we wrap up 2022 with an interesting analysis of instances where civilians used a firearm to intervene in a mass killing attack.
The data we are examining covers 54 instances of civilians engaging with an active killer. These instances come from around the world with varying laws, customs, criminal climates and social factors.
The article linked does a great job of breaking down the data and I will not waste time re summarizing it. But I do want to point out 2 important conclusions.
First is that the rate of success at stopping the attack is EXTREMELY high. In the world of violent encounters, it’s difficult to get consistent results from any data set due to the generally unpredictable nature of violent encounters. These numbers from this data set show that despite what the media tries to tell us, armed intervention is consistently reliable in stopping mass killing events.
The second point I want to draw your attention to is that in 9% of these documented cases, the armed defender was killed in the fight. In my opinion, pretty much anyone who is willing to put their life on the line to stop a mass killing is a hero. But nearly 1 in 10 events, the defender indeed lost their lives. When you make the decision to be a defender, a protector, you must recognize the real risk. Just because you are armed does not mean you will survive. The high stakes of the fight should be your motivation to train and be as prepared as possible.
This is why we always emphasize these high stakes and realities in our Free Concealed Carry Classes, as well as all of our other training and education.
