SAVING COUNTLESS LIVES: 15 SECONDS OF A GOOD GUY WITH A GUN

By: Joel E. Gordon

One of the mysteries of the ages is why the political left has, for centuries, lavished so much attention on the well-being of criminals and paid so little attention to their victims. - Thomas Sowell

The young man’s name is Elisjsha Dicken. He is from Southern Indiana. He was at Greenwood Park Mall shopping with his girlfriend. The mall is about 37 miles north of his farm.

The Greenwood Park Mall shooter began firing at 5:56:48PM. 15 SECONDS LATER, at 5:57:03, 22-year-old Eli Dicken carrying under the new NRA-Backed Constitutional Carry law, fired 10 rounds from a reported 30 yards, hitting the shooter eight times. Johnson County Coroner Mike Pruitt said an autopsy found the suspect had eight gunshot wounds and none were self-inflicted.

Eli was shopping with his girlfriend when the gunman opened fire into the crowded mall food court. Greenwood Police Chief James Ison on the "Good Samaritan" who stopped mall shooting: "His actions were nothing short of heroic. He engaged the gunman from quite a distance with a handgun, was very proficient in that, very tactically sound as he moved to close in on the suspect, he was also motioning for people to exit behind him...he has no police training and no military background."

Dicken was carrying a 9-MM Glock, according to Ison. After confirming the shooter was no longer a threat, Dicken approached mall security and cooperated with officers. He was handcuffed and questioned by officers, but released upon verification of his actions via surveillance video.

Unencumbered by rules or regulation, as a police department employee would be, only armed with a semi-automatic pistol, proficiency, common-sense, and a desire to save lives, Eli is a hero despite the anti-gun crowd calling him a "vigilante." The fact remains that a good guy with a gun actively engaged a gunman with evil intent saving countless lives.

It is important to recognize that there are still good people willing to put themselves in harm’s way. Eli’s story needs to be told. A good young man had to do an awful thing and everyone should be grateful for it. Eli defended himself and those around him. There was not time to wait for the police.

The fact is that gun-free or heavily gun restricted zones have historically been places of great danger as a soft target enticement to mass shooting maniacs.

Think that tough, anti-gun law localities provide the answer to public safety? Think again. Just look at places with the toughest gun laws like New York, DC and Chicago. Criminals, by definition, don’t obey laws so law-abiding are the ones largely affected; the same citizens who sometimes are capable of reacting with the quick thought and proficiency of an Eli Dicken. Researchers at Texas State University analyzed data that shows there were 266 shootings over a 20-year period where the shooter was stopped from actively killing people. 24 of those – or nine percent – were stopped by an armed bystander killing the shooter.

Perhaps that figure of those stopped by an armed bystander would be higher if there were more highly proficient armed citizens at the ready during moments of crisis? Looking at the places with the lowest murder rates and their long standing gun policies provides insight into what may be an uncomfortable truth to some.

Both New Hampshire and Vermont allow law-abiding citizens the right to carry firearms. No license needed. New Hampshire has the lowest gun homicide rate in the country, Vermont is second.

When the Supreme Court recently struck down New York State's onerous handgun carry law, the progressives screamed that it would cause more "gun violence." That is easily refuted. So, those leftists lose the argument. It’s long past time to take an honest, pragmatic look at violence in America with a view toward known proven positive results.

In the meantime here’s to you Mr. Dicken.

Joel E. Gordon is a former Field Training Officer with the Baltimore City Police Department and is a past Chief of Police for the city of Kingwood, West Virginia. He has also served as vice-chair of a multi-jurisdictional regional narcotics task force. An award winning journalist, he is author of the book Still Seeking Justice: One Officer's Story and founded the Facebook group. Police Authors Seeking Justice. Look him up at stillseekingjustice.com