Stopping a Shooter in a Gun-Free Zone — With a Gun
Here’s an ethical conundrum: A bad guy brings a gun into a gun-free zone, starts shooting, but another person who carried a gun into the gun-free zone – an otherwise law-abiding gun owner – stops him. What to do? A psychiatric patient at Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital in Pennsylvania opened fire in a doctor’s office, killing a nurse. The patient could have continued to kill but Dr. Lee Silverman, a psychiatrist, ducked behind his desk, drew his pistol and returned fire, critically wounding the patient. Chief of the Yeadon Police Department Donald Molineux said Silverman “without a doubt saved lives.” But that act could cost Silverman his license to practice. Signs at the hospital’s doors forbid weapons in the building. The hospital’s code of conduct forbids employees “from bringing firearms or explosives of any kind into the workplace,” and Silverman’s failure to obey the code threatens his credentials as a doctor. Citizens who choose to carry a firearm shoulder more responsibility than non-carrying citizens. And while the incident illustrates how gun-free zones are moronic, there may be consequences – even after saving lives. More…
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- guns
- Second Amendment