News station puts "active killer vs. good guy with a gun" theory to the test

In the wake of high-profile active killer events, gun ban extremists are quick to claim that making it harder for peaceable gun owners to obtain firearms is the "answer" to stop mass killings. Gun rights advocates, on the other hand, are quick to note that having armed citizens on scene when the shooting starts, rather than waiting for other armed citizens with badges to come later, can reduce the carnage.

Recently, WFAA (ABC Dallas-Fort Worth) put that assertion to the test via a set of force-on-force scenarios designed with the help of Shawn Clary, a SWAT team member and tactical instructor with 22 years experience as a “bad guy.”

According to the report, the good guys had myriad levels of experience. Matthew Beeman, 41, had just six hours of training; Brian Martin, 30, had 10 hours of training; Mary Bannan, 67, had 25 hours of training; and Royce Hardin, 68, had 50 hours of training.

Watch below to see how it went!

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Secretary, BFA PAC Vice Chairman, and an NRA-certified firearms instructor. He is the editor of BuckeyeFirearms.org, which received the Outdoor Writers of Ohio 2013 Supporting Member Award for Best Website.