December 10, 2007
Guided by the Spirit...
These mass shootings are a recurrent bitter frustration to me, because I know (I'm not the only one of course) what to do. I know how people should respond, to save lives. If everyone at that church had instantly started throwing things--chairs, shoes, keys, potted plants, books, pictures off the wall--the gunman would almost certainly have been quickly overwhelmed.
And I post this idea every time, confident that no one will take notice. Just call me Cassandra.
Here's a fascinating story about the security guard who brought down the killer...
...At about that moment, [Jeanne] Assam, 42, turned a corner with a drawn handgun, walked toward the gunman and yelled "Surrender!"
Bourbonnais said.The gunman pointed a handgun at Assam and fired three shots, Bourbonnais said. She returned fire and just kept walking toward the gunman pressing off round after round.
After the gunman went down, Bourbonnais asked the Assam, a volunteer security guard with the church, how she remained so calm and focused.
Bourbonnais said she replied:
"I was asking the Holy Spirit to guide me the entire time."
Update: There's more on Jeanne Assam here. she's not a hired security guard, but a member of the church and former police officer volunteering to provide security.
The web sites of the kook left is going nuts over this story. I truly think they want a mass murder at a church. It was stopped, which wreaked there whole year.
Posted by: Duane Lapinki at December 11, 2007 05:26 PMOoooh, I'll just bet they are!
This has got to just hit them in all the tenderest spots. Strong woman rejecting (I would guess) feminism, turning to God. People protecting themselves, instead of relying on government. Carrying firearms. Possibly nobody in the congregation reads the NYT.
And above all, nihilists hate BELIEF. It's a reproach and an irritation to them.
Posted by: John Weidner at December 11, 2007 10:50 PMProblems:
One: The kid killed himself. Perhaps the guard confronted him, and he decided it was quitting time. Or perhaps she made the whole thing up. Her own life-story is troubling.
Two: At his final crime scene, the murderer killed two girls in the parking lot, by surprise. They had no opportunity for the kind of resistance you envisage. Learn more about the circumstances.
Three: Judging from his writings, and from witness testimony, the kid was homosexual and borderline psychotic. He was not exactly in a supportive environment, among hard-line evangelicals. He hated them, and he acted on his hate. Too bad he didn't just move to San Franscisco. There he would have harmed no one, except possibly himself.
Posted by: Alan Sullivan at December 16, 2007 09:42 AMHi Alan,
You don't seem to be reacting to what I actually wrote.
I said nothing about the attacker. I have no theories about his psychology. (And not much sympathy with how Evangelicals might deal with people like him.)
This is a witnesses' account of the shooting, not a story Assam made up. (Well, she could have made up the stuff about the Holy Spirit--there's no way to know.) And she did gun the guy down before he shot himself, as far as I know. So her deed is no less inspiring.
I may not have made it clear, but the advice about throwing things refers to crowds of people indoors, as in Columbine or Virginia Tech. Obviously there has to be an opportunity to do this. In a surprise attack, or a with distant sniper it won't work.
But with a crowd this is simply something that WILL work. Subsequent to my first posting of the idea, long ago, I read of a group of ex-law enforcement officers who formed a company to teach exactly this at schools. Unfortunately I understand that political correctness triumphed, and their plan went nowhere
Posted by: John Weidner at December 16, 2007 03:13 PM
