Op-Ed: Armed doctor saved lives

On Thursday afternoon, Dr. Lee Silverman undoubtedly saved many lives. Using a handgun, the Delaware County psychiatrist stopped what both police and the district attorney described as a certain mass killing at Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital.

The attacker, Richard Plotts, is a convicted felon, which bans him from legally owning a gun. But Pennsylvania's universal background check law did not stop him. Neither did the hospital's signs banning guns.

The proposed federal law on expanded background checks that President Obama continually pushes is similar to Pennsylvania's and would not have stopped Plotts either. Indeed, it is hard to see how it would have stopped any of the other mass shootings during his presidency.

At Mercy Fitzgerald, caseworker Theresa Hunt was killed when Plotts opened fire during a regularly scheduled appointment with Dr. Lee Silverman. Fortunately, the doctor had his own gun and returned fire, hitting Plotts three times and critically wounding him.

After firing all the bullets in his gun, Plotts still had 39 bullets on him, bullets that he could have used to shoot many other people. Silverman's three hits, however, made it possible for two other hospital employees to tackle the wounded attacker and secure his .32-caliber revolver. Plotts has since been charged with murder and attempted murder.

Yeadon Police Chief Donald Molineux was clear: "Without a doubt, I believe the doctor saved lives. ... Without that firearm, this guy [Plotts] could have went out in the hallway and just walked down the offices until he ran out of ammunition."

Delaware County District Attorney Jack Whelan agreed: "If the doctor did not have a firearm, [and] the doctor did not utilize the firearm, he'd be dead today, and I believe that other people in that facility would also be dead."

Silverman, the hero here, apparently broke the gun-free zone rule the hospital had imposed, but he appears to be in no danger of disciplinary action and the hospital announced it was thankful for the "brave and difficult action" of Silverman and his colleagues. The hospital specifically noted: "We look forward to Dr. Silverman's return to serving patients at our hospital."

The shooting points to a sad but simple truth: The problem with gun-free zone signs, such as the one at Mercy Fitzgerald, is that the bad guys don't obey them. Instead of protecting the public, such signs only make it easier for killers to commit their attacks.

Click here to read the entire op-ed in The Philadelphia Inquirer.