PoliteOccupy Democrats, with over 12,000 likes and 18,000 shares. This meme claims that armed citizens have prevented zero mass shootings in the last 30 years. By any reasonable measure, this is wrong.
"Catch-22"
There is a catch-22 problem when it comes to calling for an end to mass shootings. If someone shoots a potential mass shooting before it starts, then technically the mass shooting never happened, nor can it definitively be said to have been prevented. On the other hand, if a mass shooting happens and then an armed citizen stops it, then the mass shooting is not technically stopped because it has already happened. This "catch-22" makes it technically impossible to prevent mass shootings. So this meme could be considered correct under this twisted logic, but it would be grossly and maliciously misleading, and not that any unbiased person would consider it true.
Another factor is to consider what "armed citizens" means. One could argue that an off-duty police officer or military officer with a gun is not a citizen, but that seems wrong.
Sensible measures to prevent mass shootings
A reasonable analysis of mass shootings prevented by citizens using guns would include mass shootings (defined as shootings of 4 or more victims) that were in progress or likely to begin and were prevented by people not using guns from doing business at the time . Official status as law enforcement. The following list reflects this standard.
1.November 2017–A man opened fire in the parking lot of a busy auto repair shop in Rockledge, Florida, killing one person and paralyzing another. Two of the employees hid their licenses and fought back, injuring the assailant and preventing further damage.
2.November 2017–An off-duty Kansas City police captain shot and killed a gunman at a local Costco after declaring, "I'm an off-duty U.S. Marshal and I'm here to kill." The off-duty police officer told him to put the gun down and not move. When the gunman pointed his gun at the officer, he fired. No other injuries were reported.
3.September 2017–A masked gunman walked into a Nashville church and shot seven people, one fatally. A church usher was able to run to his car, grab a gun and confront the shooter, saving countless lives.
4.Mayonnaise 2017–A man killed one person by walking into a bar in Arlington, Texas, yelling incoherently and starting shooting. A customer with a concealed handgun confronted the gunman, avoiding further casualties. In addition to the staff, there are more than a dozen customers in the bar.
5.June 2016–A man opened fire outside a bar in Lyman, South Carolina. He shot and killed three people and a fourth returned fire with a concealed weapons permit, preventing further bloodshed.
6.July 2015–A Cincinnati man shot and killed 4 people, including a 1-year-old boy. One of the victims had a concealed carry permit and opened fire, hitting the assailant in the leg. Nobody died.
7.Mayonnaise 2015–In New Holland, South Carolina, a man walked into a fire department parking lot filled with children and firefighters and started shooting in the air and pointing guns at people. Two firefighters with concealed carry permits confronted the shooter and managed to get him to drop the weapon. Although no one was injured, this likely prevented a mass shooting.
8.April 2015–An Uber driver with a concealed carry permit shot and wounded a man who opened fire on a group of people on a sidewalk in Chicago's Logan Square.
9.March 2015–A man shot and killed a gunman inside a West Philadelphia barber shop, possibly saving several lives, police said. During the struggle, the man pulled his gun and began shooting the customer and the hairdresser, including the child inside. Another man with a valid gun license heard gunshots outside and rushed to kill the shooter, possibly saving his life.
10July 2014–A mentally ill man opened fire at a Pennsylvania hospital, killing a social worker. A military medic with a concealed weapons permit fired three shots at the gunman, who was knocked down and restrained by hospital staff. Police Chiefexplain"Without a doubt, I believe the doctor saved lives. Without that gun, [the shooter] could have walked down the hall, through the office, until he ran out of ammunition."
11July 2014–A trooper with a concealed carry permit shot and wounded a man who threatened a group of four outside a party in Chicago.
12January 2014–After being pulled over at a Portland strip club, a man returned with a gun and shot and wounded a bouncer before proceeding to the club. Another bodyguard with a concealed carry permit shot the assailant. There are 30 people inside.
13December 2012–A man with a stolen AR-15 rifle walked into a Clackamas, Oregon mall and opened fire, killing two people and seriously injuring one. another person with a concealed carry permitface the shooterBut no shots were fired because he was afraid he might shoot innocent bystanders. However, he claimed that the shooter saw him, which likely stopped the shooting, as he then ran for the stairs and the shooter fired his next bullet in a suicide attempt. Whether this action prevented mass shootings is debatable, but the evidence supports it.
14April 2012–A man chased down and shot several church members in the parking lot of a church in Aurora, Colorado, killing one. There, an off-duty police officer shot and killed the gunman, preventing the attack.
15.March 2012–A man kicked in the side door of a church in Spartanburg, South Carolina, pointing a shotgun at the pastor and congregation. Another church member armed with a concealed weapon quickly subdued the assailant. No one was hurt.
sixteen.May 2009–Two masked gunmen broke into an apartment full of 11 people at a birthday party in College Park, Georgia. They separated the men and women, stole their wallets and mobile phones and proceeded to rape the women, saying they would kill them afterwards. One of the victims managed to grab her bag with a gun before shooting her attacker away. Residents of the apartment said that without intervention, everyone at the party would likely have died.
17May 2008–A man walked into a crowded bar near Reno, Nevada, shot and killed two brothers and wounded others. He stopped to refill and was shot and killed by another customer with a concealed weapons permit.
18December 2007–After killing two people at a Colorado church, a gunman drove to New Life Church in Colorado Springs and began shooting at members leaving Sunday services. As the gunman entered the church, a woman emerged from a door, confronted the gunman, then fired 10 shots from 63 feet away, hitting the attacker once in the wrist and twice in the leg. He died in the hallway, just 40 feet from where he entered.
19February 2007–Five people were killed and four others were wounded when a man armed with a shotgun and a backpack full of ammunition opened fire in Salt Lake City's Trolley Plaza. The gun jammed him and a shootout ensued that cost countless lives.
20January 2002–An agitated student facing suspension walked onto the campus of Appalachian Law School, killing three people, including the dean, and injuring three others. He was stopped by three police trainees in training and thrown to the ground. One of them ran to his car for his gun before confronting the assailant.
21July 1999–A man kidnapped three employees and threatened to kill them after renting a semi-automatic rifle from a gun club. One of them opened fire on the shooter with a concealed pistol. While he only directly threatened three people (it wasn't technically a mass shooting), his suicide note detailed his desire to take many more lives, which is probably why he stopped it.
22April 1998–A high school student takes his father's gun at the high school prom. He shot and killed a teacher and wounded three others before the dance hall owner heard the shots and took a shotgun to confront the assailant outside and disarmed him. Whether this prevented more deaths is debatable, as the students had stopped shooting, but they were still armed and could have shot more people.
23October 1997–After a shooting at Pearl High School in Mississippi that left 2 dead and 7 injured, the assistant principal stopped him and subdued the shooter with a handgun he had in his truck.
24December 1991–Two gunmen herded 20 customers and employees of a Shawnee restaurant in Anniston, Alabama, into a walk-in freezer and locked it. The men continued to hold the manager at gunpoint and began robbing the restaurant. They were stopped by another customer hiding under a table, legally in possession of a .45 semi-automatic pistol. He shot the robber five times in the chest and abdomen, killing him instantly. Whether this was a mass shooting is up for debate, but it was a hostage situation that put at least 20 lives at risk.
in conclusion
While the “catch-22” still applies to all of these examples, it is simply not true that armed civilians have not prevented or significantly reduced mass shooting deaths over the past 30 years under any reasonable circumstances.