It happened again. A civilian carrying a concealed firearm stopped a shooting in an El Paso, Texas mall earlier this week. We know news like this will come as something of a shock to our friends in the Civilian Disarmament Industrial Complex, but…who are we fooling? That’s exactly why we wrote this.
Anti-gunners love to claim that people who carry firearms don’t use them to defend themselves or stop crimes…all evidence to the contrary. And they certainly don’t stop active shooters in public areas. They know this to be true because they say so, which is all the proof they really need.
So what has us here at TTAG Central Command puzzled is how they reconcile their views with incidents such as what happened in Indiana when Eli Dicken pulled a concealed pistol and stopped a mass shooting in progress last summer. Or, more recently, when something similar happened in El Paso when an argument — likely between rival gangs — escalated into a fight and then a shooting in a crowded shopping mall.
Even the anti-gun stenographers jernalizmists at CNN have been forced to report that . . .
A civilian used his legally licensed gun to shoot and wound a suspect in a mall shooting in El Paso, Texas, that left one dead and three injured earlier this week, police said.
Emanuel Duran, 32, shot a 16-year-old who is believed to have carried out the shooting at the Cielo Vista Mall, spurring chaos and sending many patrons running in panic Wednesday evening, El Paso Police said in a statement Friday night.
“As soon as the shooting ended, the 16-year-old suspect began to run and was pointing the gun towards the direction of bystanders,” police said. “As the suspect ran towards Duran and bystanders, Duran drew his handgun and shot the suspect.”
Ouch. Here’s the statement issued last night by the El Paso Police Department describing what Mr. Duran — who had a Texas LTC — did when confronted by a man with a gun . . .
Press Release: Investigation Continues on Shooting at Cielo Vista Mall pic.twitter.com/LvabE4IzMO
— EL PASO POLICE DEPT (@EPPOLICE) February 18, 2023
The un-named wounded 16-year-old, who used a stolen gun to kill one and injure three more, was arrested. Duran helped a cop administer first aid to the shooter and the wounded.
The cognitive dissonance experienced by devoted hoplophobes at news like this has to be jarring and awfully difficult to deal with. Does smoke visibly trail from their ears? Do their little heads explode? We’re actually quite concerned for their mental wellbeing.
It can’t be easy to absorb the reality of these incidents conflicting with what they’re regularly told by all of the smartest people like the noted authorities like the New York Times, Kris Brown, and Ryan Busse.
We just want to take a moment to assure them that, if they’re having trouble coping, help is out there. It’s true that guns prevent crimes and save lives every day in America, but that doesn’t mean you should be ashamed, depressed, or suffer in silence. Please…if you’re finding the reality of civilian gun ownership difficult to cope with, reach out and get the help you need.
