Concealed Carry holder shoots assailants, receives medal. [View All]

[Atypical Liberal]

This article just showed up on reddit.

http://www.military.com/news/article/navy-news/navy-ensign-awarded-medal-for-heroism.html

"Ensign Sean Barner, from Stone Mountain, Ga., was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his actions on May 3, 2009.

Barner intervened and stopped two armed assailants during an attempted robbery and then provided immediate medical assistance by applying tourniquets to one of the gun shot wounded victims.

...

After being robbed of their personal belongings, the six men were ordered to a back bedroom while two women were taken to a second bedroom with one assailant while the other two women were taken to the living room with the other assailant.

In the back bedroom, Barner and the other five men overheard the perpetrator’s plan to rape the women and shoot all the victims.

“Knowing that this was not a nice area of town, I brought along a firearm which I left in my book bag,” said Barner, who is licensed under the Georgia Weapons Carry laws. “I was lucky that the room I was locked in had my book bag and had not been searched.”

Barner escaped the bedroom with his firearm and went to the living room where he fired several shots at one of the armed assailants causing him to flee.

Barner then went to the bedroom where two females were being held with by the other assailant. He kicked down the door and entered the room, shooting the assailant and causing him to flee out the window.

That assailant was later found dead near the apartment from gunshot wounds. One of the females was also caught in the ensuing crossfire and received gunshot wounds."

Here we have that dreaded situation that so many anti-firearm folks drag out - "But what if the good guy accidentally shoots innocent bystanders?" In fact, Barner did accidentally shoot one of the innocent bystanders. I bet she doesn't mind so much, though, given the alternative.

Here we had 9 people at the mercy of two armed assailants, assailants who professed their desire to rape the women and kill everyone afterwards. If Barner had not been armed, these people would have had no choice but to try and engage in a physical contest of strength against their attackers to try and save their lives.

Instead, a firearm evened the odds and allowed the good guys to win the day.

Anyone who is against concealed carry of firearms is against this kind of scenario playing out as it did, and instead would prefer that weaker victims be at the mercy of those stronger than they are.