Armed Bystanders

One of the claims that gun control supporters often make is that it doesn't do any good to be armed for self-defense, because a criminal will shoot you before you can draw your gun. This is wrong for several reasons:

1. Most violent crimes aren't committed with guns. Bad guys (as in the example below) sometimes are using knives or other contact weapons.

2. There is a surprisingly large number of cases where the criminal has his gun out, and the victim still has time to draw and fire before the criminal can pull the trigger. This may be because the criminals are drunk or otherwise intoxicated, and their reflexes are slow. But an acquaintance of mine used to keep two cap pistols that he would use for demonstrations where he would have the gun control supporter aim one of the toy guns at him--and he would consistently draw and fire his before the person playing the criminal could pull the trigger.

3. The case below is a reminder that while a bystander who observes a crime may not be able to intervene in time to stop it, he can intervene in time to make sure that the criminal doesn't get away--and doesn't kill the witnesses. From the August 5, 2007 KIRO channel 7 (Seattle):

SEATTLE -- Police said a man fatally stabbed a 48-year-old woman at a Veterans of Foreign Wars hall in south Seattle, then was shot and killed by a man who witnessed the attack.

According to police, the woman had a restraining order against the man who stabbed her at the 9100 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Way during a birthday party early Sunday morning.

People at the scene tried to stop the attacker, and at least one other person was injured during that struggle, authorities said.

Police said the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

The 39-year-old man suspected of stabbing the victim was the woman's former husband. He was transported to Harborview Medical Center with life-threatening injuries that he later died from, officials said.

Police said they questioned the shooter, a DJ at the party, who said he did not know the stabbing victim or her attacker. Authorities said he was released and no charges will be filed against him.

UPDATE: A reader points out that the reason that victims manage to draw and fire before the criminal even pulls the trigger is that many criminals are not expecting any resistance--much less armed resistance. My guess is that violent criminals are disproportionately of average or less intelligence; people with criminal tendencies and superior intelligence usually get themselves elected to public office instead. If a thug has not thought out what he are going to do in advance, responding to unexpected resistance may force him to think through his options a bit too long.

This goes both directions. If you are a good guy, this is also a good reason to consider all the possible situations that may come up, and figure out the appropriate responses to a criminal attack. From growing up in Los Angeles, I approach an ATM with considerable wariness, looking around for potential attackers. Similarly, when I was visiting Philadelphia several years ago, I was often walking on streets that were a little worrisome; I spent quite a bit of time planning my sequence of actions in the event that I was confronted by a robber.

I have had two terribly frightening experiences in my life when I thought that I was going to have to draw a gun and shoot someone. Afterwards, I spent quite a bit of time analyzing the circumstances, and exactly what the circumstances were that would both morally and legally justified drawing and then shooting someone. It is a sobering experience when you are in the situation, and it is best to have considered your options and your reasons for the decisions you might have to make when you are not suffering from adrenalin pumping through your system.