On Friday’s World News with Charles Gibson on ABC, substitute anchor Diane Sawyer previewed the same night’s special on guns in America, "If I Only Had a Gun," and, on World News, ran a report focusing on how challenging it is to react to a gunman when taken by surprise, even if one is armed. ABC News enlisted the services of police officers to train college students in firearm use and then had the students react to one of the officers as he pretended to be a crazed gunman and burst into a small lecture room. Sawyer informed viewers: "Our training is already more than almost half the states in the country require to carry a concealed weapon."
The report documented that all of the trained students performed poorly in trying to defend themselves. Sawyer narrated a clip of one such botched attempt at self-defense: "Joey struggles to get his gun out, but it's stuck in his shirt. He can't even get it out to aim it. Had this event been real, police say Joey would have been killed in the first five seconds." Each of the students taking part appeared to be wearing a T-shirt which the concealed handgun was tucked underneath.
But the report only focused on this one narrow scenario in which the law-abiding citizen is taken by surprise by a skilled gunman, while the report ignores other scenarios and crime situations when the record shows that armed citizens do sometimes succeed when forced to confront criminals.
In the May 31, 1999, National Review article, "Why New Gun Laws Won’t Work," University of Chicago Professor John Lott, author of More Guns, Less Crime, wrote about two then-recent school shooting sprees that were cut short when an armed citizen in each case used his own weapon to capture the gunman. Lott:
Story Continues Below Ad ↓In October 1997, after a shooter had killed two students at a high school in Pearl, Miss., assistant principal Joel Myrick retrieved a gun from his car and immobilized him until the police arrived. An April 1998 school-related shooting in Edinboro, Pa., which left a teacher dead, was stopped by nearby restaurant owner James Strand, who pointed a shotgun at the shooter as he was reloading his gun. The police did not arrive until eleven minutes later.
Lott also pointed out the scant media attention given to the role of guns in halting the gunmen before they could continue their shooting sprees:
Most news coverage of these incidents ignored the role of guns in ending the bloodshed. In the month following the Mississippi shooting, only 19 of the 687 stories on the episode mentioned Myrick. Some of those said only that he had "disarmed the shooter." In a later story on CBS, Dan Rather noted only that "Myrick eventually subdued the young gunman." Similarly, only 35 of the 596 stories on the Pennsylvania crime mentioned Strand, with the New York Daily News explaining that he had "persuaded [the shooter] to surrender" and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution claiming that he had "chased [the shooter] down and held him until police came." Five school-related shootings occurred in the 1997-98 school year. One might have thought that the fact that two of them were stopped by guns would register in the public debate over such shootings.
Below is a complete transcript of the report from the Friday, April 10, World News with Charles Gibson on ABC:
DIANE SAWYER: In all, last month, 53 people died in gun rampages in America. Over the past year, a surge in the purchase of new guns. Tonight, ABC News will bring you the result of a year-long exploration of guns, self-defense and child safety. It’s called "If I Only Had a Gun." And police ask: If you had a gun, can you be sure you could use it in a crisis?
After all the recent mass shootings, a question: Could an ordinary citizen count on being able to defend himself if he only had a gun? The Bethlehem Pennsylvania Police Department, working with ABC News, created an experiment, to show what happens when average Americans react under stress. At Wheelenburg College, the police go over gun basics with students. The gun is real but filled with paint ammunition. Our training is already more than almost half the states in the country require to carry a concealed weapon. Joey Dolan thinks he’ll be good at self-defense since he’s spent countless hours hitting the target using a gun that shoots plastic pellets. The police tell him he has one of our guns to use in a test of self-defense later. In the meantime, it’s a lecture.
Suddenly, the room under attack. The instructor is down, a student hit. Joey struggles to get his gun out, but it’s stuck in his shirt. He can’t even get it out to aim it. Had this event been real, police say Joey would have been killed in the first five seconds. Look at how your body undermines your decisions and your accuracy with a gun in crisis. Under extreme stress, your blood is actually pulled from your skin toward your muscles in case you need to flee, your heart pumping three to four times the normal rate. Your hands have less blood. They’re less dextrous. Your reaction’s delayed. Like this student, who freezes in his seat, hands on his desk. In seconds, he’s peppered with shots.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE STUDENT: No one ever gets hit in the movies, obviously. In real life, I got hit like five, six times.
SAWYER: And, while this woman started firing right after the armed intruder burst into the room, she makes a terrible error. She stands up and takes a hit to the head even though she believes she has already taken out the intruder.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE STUDENT: I think I hit you in the head, wasn’t it, at the top of the- [UNIDENTIFIED MALE POLICE OFFICER #1 POINTS TO HIS LEG] Oh, I got you there.
SAWYER: And what about the risk that you’ll hit an innocent bystander. This woman comes within inches. Which is why police spend months and months training in ways designed to override the adrenaline and pounding heart in a crisis.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE POLICE OFFICER #2: -rounds coming back at you, you got outside environments, people are screaming, running. It’s too much for a normal person who’s never been trained to deal with. It’s overwhelming.
SAWYER: Police say so many of us don’t really know what we could and could not do in a crisis with a gun.UNIDENTIFIED MALE POLICE OFFICER #1: Don’t put yourself in a situation unless you are truly confidently prepared for it because, without training, you lose it.
SAWYER: And police also ask: Do you know the risk of hitting an innocent bystander? We have much more tonight on this special with children with teenagers. Again, it’s called "If I Only Had a Gun." It’s tonight at 10:00 Eastern time.
—Brad Wilmouth is a news analyst at the Media Research Center.
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Well thank you so much for
April 13, 2009 - 12:12 ET by SRPwrdWell thank you so much for the news. Knowing this, I am perfectly alright laying down and not using a gun, since I have a better chance of coming out on top.
We know where not having guns got the slaves, captured sailors last week, and now even the Europeans.
"I believe in American Exceptionalism, just like Brits believe in British Exceptionalism and Greeks believe in Greek Exceptionalism." - PreBO, 4/4/09
I hear
April 13, 2009 - 12:15 ET by 10ksnookerThat not only does a gun work when confronting suicide murders, it also works on airplane hijackers and ship hijackers ... Don't leave home without yours.
10 years ago
April 13, 2009 - 12:24 ET by katainkentThere was a study that said something like "a gun was used for defense something like 1.9 to 2.3 million times" that year. I cannot find anything more recent than that.
Self defense
April 13, 2009 - 12:38 ET by DontFeedTheTrollsHere are some of those self defense stories.
D
Keep the ILLEGALS out, join NumbersUSA to send free faxes to your reps.
Don't look now
April 13, 2009 - 12:33 ET by DontFeedTheTrollsI guess Sawyer couldn't find anyone, ANYONE, who was sleeping/sitting at home and heard an intruder, quietly picked up a weapon, and successfully repelled/wounded/killed said intruder.
D
Keep the ILLEGALS out, join NumbersUSA to send free faxes to your reps.
Somebody should tip her off...
April 13, 2009 - 12:38 ET by kufir77...to the ARMED CITIZEN. If she had bothered to do an ounce of research, they may have actually covered the cases when guns are used legitimately and successfully for self-defense.
DFTT... Of course not...
April 13, 2009 - 12:49 ET by bigtimerDFTT...
Of course not... even with her eyes wide open.
These leftists talking heads are all over the place with their agenda regarding the 2nd Amendment..it is nothing but sooo obvious.
...even our local leftist newscasts are the same...I was furious just this morning with them regarding this very issue.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
So let me get this right. If
April 13, 2009 - 13:36 ET by USA4freedomSo let me get this right.
If you have a gun and have trouble getting it out, and you are killed, that is worse then not having a gun, and getting killed.. ok, I got it.
Who can argue with logic like that.
Ronald Reagan, 1962: I did not leave the Democratic party, the party left me.
Insert: your name, 2008, and the Republican party.
Am I just paranoid...
April 13, 2009 - 12:37 ET by kufir77...or is there some sort of collusion going on between this administration and the major networks to crack down on gun ownership?
Pieces like this, plus misinformation regarding US guns and Mexican cartels, plus the frequent coverage of mass shootings make me start to wonder....
no
April 13, 2009 - 12:43 ET by katainkentyou're not paranoid ;)
_____________________________________________________
Obama does not perform as advertised. I'd like a refund.
Taxed Enough Already.
oh, yeah, the nets are
April 13, 2009 - 12:50 ET by SickofLibsoh, yeah, the nets are absolutely preparing the field for the seed planting.
Uh, Ms. Sawyer, you state
April 13, 2009 - 12:59 ET by UpNorth"Police say so many of us don’t really know what we could and could not do in a crisis with a gun". I guarantee I know what "we could and could not" do without a gun. We would die!!! I'm a retired LEO and I would never, ever tell anyone not to get a gun, if they felt they needed one for self-defense. It isn't for everyone, but if you know you can use one, by all means get one.
But, if you want to have a gun, and want to be prepared to use it, practice, practice, and then practice some more. And if you pull the gun, use it!!! Don't try to scare someone into dropping their gun, use yours! And keep using it til the target is down.
There's your problem...
April 13, 2009 - 13:03 ET by CobraMan"ABC News enlisted the services of police officers to train college students in firearm use"
There's your problem, you're using the wrong instructors. Police are trained to use guns as a LAST resort, not a first response. You need the MILITARY (current members or veterans, it makes no difference) to train people in how to respond quickly and effectively to an armed threat. The police will FIRST try to reason with an armed perp. The military, on the other hand, knows that an armed individual who is ready, willing, and able to kill innocent civilians is ALREADY unreasonable so we will KILL them at first sight.
Look at it this way, in military training, we learn to: Wait until you see the threat approaching, and then KILL them! In police training, you're taught to :Wait until they brandish their weapon, then ask them to put down their weapon several times before shooting them!
You all tell me, which is the most effective approach?
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States.
The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus.
The US Supreme Court
This News Just In.......
April 13, 2009 - 13:04 ET by GlitchDiane Sawyer: Today the Federal Government has discovered that the leading cause of deaths in America is Living. President Obama made an anounsment today that a late night meeting of congress has just passed a bill that will outlaw living in hopes to stop these out of control deaths. Nancy Pelosi(D-CA) who has spearheaded this push to stop the living from inflickting anymore senseless deaths to said that Congress will approve an aproximate 600 Billion to efforts to stop the living. All citizens are asked to report to their local Federal Healthcare Providers for immediate immunization.
Do not command that which you cannot enforce.
it's true
April 13, 2009 - 13:36 ET by ICONIC FREEDOMI contend that liberals, especially those who endorse gorebal warming, are the biggest racists ever -
they hate the human race
Complete the scenario
April 13, 2009 - 13:15 ET by redandgearheadThe scenario has a gunman burst into a room. People try to defend themselves and possibly fail. Now the entire school is alerted. Other armed citizens no unlimber their weapons and are ready. Let the gunman, who is probably as untrained as the armed citizens, see if he is as lucky. At Colombine and Virginia Tech, the gunmen walked up to victims and shot. Being shot at would make the gunmen less effective also.
If he uselessly sprays his rounds and has to reload, that gives others the chance to attack him physically.
NOT REQUIRED OR DESIRED
April 13, 2009 - 13:32 ET by ICONIC FREEDOMThe Captain did not need BO's approval, nor was it sought in order to preserve his own life. The Navy, in their upstanding bravery, supported this American in preserving his life. A great combination of what America is about.
However, to have BO coming out and acting like he had ANYTHING to do with this, should be outrageous to any citizen who upholds freedom, free choice and defense of one's life
It is outrageous that BO negates this citizen's decision toward survival like BO had ANYTHING to do with it.
That Captain made a personal decision to jump and the Navy was prepared - that's it BO - nothing more - you had NOTHING to do with this so your "test" is no test at all but a delusion and juxtaposing of facts to support your agenda of attempting to credential yourself.
Princess Nan
April 13, 2009 - 13:56 ET by slickwillie2001Princess Nan speaking on 'gun control' last week: Speaker Pelosi wants to register your guns: http://www.redstate.com
Of course there's more to it than simple registration; the article gives details of HR45, which is presently in committee.
Proper use of the weapon...
April 13, 2009 - 15:47 ET by RightsBelieverHere's a good example of why we have the right to keep and bear arms: http://www.thestate.com/local/story/747998.html
Second one to be dropped in 5 weeks. There was a pizza man being assaulted by 4 who dropped one of the critters with his tactical tupperware (aka Glock). Both of these upstanding citizens who defended themselves were also concealed carry permit holders. It's a good investment.
Naturally the "journalists" who are stoking the fire are NOT interested in facts, figures, reality, or your rights.
Obama lied; the economy died.
Tony Blankley
Registration leads to confiscation
April 16, 2009 - 21:33 ET by Sergeant ROCKSee also; Britain, Australia and Kanada.
"I ask, Sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people. To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them."
George Mason
ABC buries their heads
April 13, 2009 - 15:50 ET by TheHistorianJohn Lott wrote a good book on this. Why doesn't Diane interview him? Is she afraid of getting some facts? He actually goes through how incidents in various places were not controlled by gun control laws.
http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/493636.html and
http://johnrlott.blogspot.com/2009/04/abc-news-has-amazingly-bad-piece-on.html
"What experience and history teach is this - that people and governments never have learned anything from history, or acted on principles deduced from it."
G. W. F. Hegel
designed to fail
April 13, 2009 - 15:55 ET by inquiring_ mindsABC's "experiment" was designed so that the armed student would fail in his attempt to defend against the assailant. The students all wore protective head gear / face sheilds (understandable). But they also wore thick gloves, and a long tailed jersey that hung well below the waist and was designed to hamper efforts to reach the gun holstered on the student's waist. No wonder he couldn't draw his weapon quickly when the attack began! The students were also seated in a manner that resembled the metal ducks at a carnival shooting gallery and the "assailant" seemed to know beforehand where the armed student was seated (front row center).
Re designed to fail
April 13, 2009 - 16:34 ET by slickwillie2001Any rocket engines involved in the setup?
yea
April 13, 2009 - 19:21 ET by WesenYep, if the students had screwed with the set up by passing a gun to a friend or taking cover it would have been interesting. It would have been more interesting still with professionals all around.
A Setup
April 13, 2009 - 16:37 ET by BeanManI saw this on the TV. The whole thing was a set up. All of the students were given baggy long sleeved t-shirts, even the ones not armed. The student was told to put the shirt over top of the gun so it was concealed. The armed student was always in the front row in the middle and the armed intruder knew this and so went for the armed student first.
The whole thing was to make you believe that it was really stupid to be armed and you should just run scared.
Since government is coercion, politics is largely the exercise of deception regarding the intended use of coercion - George Orwell
Not Sure....
April 13, 2009 - 16:53 ET by AnotherFedUpOneWho wrote this...but worth passing on.
This just about says it all.
Now I won't have to explain my guns and the use of them...
PEOPLE ASK WHY?
Why I Carry a Gun
My old grandpa said to me 'Son, there comes a time in every man's life
when he stops bustin' knuckles and starts bustin' caps and
usually it's when he becomes too old to take an ass whoopin.'
I don't carry a gun to kill people.
I carry a gun to keep from being killed.
I don't carry a gun to scare people.
I carry a gun because sometimes this world can be a scary place.
I don't carry a gun because I'm paranoid.
I carry a gun because there are real threats in the world.
I don't carry a gun because I'm evil.
I carry a gun because I have lived long enough to see the evil in the world.
I don't carry a gun because I hate the government.
I carry a gun because I understand the limitations of government.
I don't carry a gun because I'm angry.
I carry a gun so that I don't have to spend the rest of my life hating
myself for failing to be prepared.
I don't carry a gun because I want to shoot someone.
I carry a gun because I want to die at a ripe old age in my bed, and
not on a sidewalk somewhere tomorrow afternoon.
I don't carry a gun because I'm a cowboy.
I carry a gun because, when I die and go to heaven, I want to be a cowboy.
I don't carry a gun to make me feel like a man.
I carry a gun because men know how to take care of themselves and the
ones they love.
I don't carry a gun because I feel inadequate.
I carry a gun because unarmed and facing three armed thugs, I am inadequate.
I don't carry a gun because I love it.
I carry a gun because I love life and the people who make it meaningful to me.
Police Protection is an oxymoron.
Free citizens must protect themselves.
Police do not protect you from crime, they usually just investigate
the crime after it happens and then call someone in to clean up the
mess.
Personally, I carry a gun because I'm too young to die and too old to
take an ass whoopin'.....author unknown (but obviously brilliant)
**********************************************
A LITTLE GUN HISTORY
In 1929, the Soviet Union established gun control. From 1929 to 1953,
about 20 million dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded
up and exterminated.
------------------------------
In 1911, Turkey established gun control. From 1915 to 1917, 1.5
million Armenians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and
exterminated.
------------------------------
Germany established gun control in 1938 and from 1939 to 1945, a
total of 13 million Jews and others who were unable to defend
themselves were rounded up and exterminated.
------------------------------
China established gun control in 1935. From 1948 to 1952, 20 million
political dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and
exterminated
------------------------------
Guatemala established gun control in 1964. From 1964 to 1981, 100,000
Mayan Indians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and
exterminated.
---- ------------- -------------
Uganda established gun control in 1970. From 1971 to 1979, 300,000
Christians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and
exterminated.
------------------------------
Cambodia established gun control in 1956. From 1975 to 1977, one
million educated people, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up
and exterminated.
-----------------------------
Defenseless people rounded up and exterminated in the 20th Century
because of gun control: 56 million.
------------------------------
You won't see this data on the US evening news, or hear politicians
disseminating this information.
Guns in the hands of honest citizens save lives and property and, yes,
gun-control laws adversely affect only the law-abiding citizens.
Take note my fellow Americans, before it's too late!
The next time someone talks in favor of gun control, please remind
them of this history lesson.
With guns, we are 'citizens'. Without them, we are 'subjects'.
During WWII the Japanese decided not to invade America because they
knew most Americans were ARMED!
If you value your freedom, please spread this anti-gun control message
to all of your friends.
The purpose of fighting is to win.
There is no possible victory in defense.
The sword is more important than the shield, and skill is more
important than either.
The final weapon is the brain.
All else is supplemental.
SWITZERLAND ISSUES EVERY HOUSEHOLD A GUN!
SWITZERLAND'S GOVERNMENT TRAINS EVERY ADULT THEY ISSUE A RIFLE.
SWITZERLAND HAS THE LOWEST GUN RELATED CRIME RATE OF ANY CIVILIZED
COUNTRY IN THE WORLD!!!
IT'S A NO BRAINER!
DON'T LET OUR GOVERNMENT WASTE MILLIONS OF OUR TAX DOLLARS IN AN
EFFORT TO MAKE ALL LAW ABIDING CITIZENS AN EASY TARGET.
I'm a firm believer in the 2nd Amendment!
If you are too, please forward.
a fair shoot?
April 13, 2009 - 19:17 ET by WesenThe shooter got good hits because he trained for it. I wish John Farnam and Massad Ayoob were sitting in the classroom then it would have been a fair fight... a professional gunfight all around.
I remember being struck as
April 13, 2009 - 21:58 ET by RR GOPI remember being struck as to how boring the Old West actually was after researching that era. Sure there were criminals and the like, but mostly after the early ones were glorified by the Press and others wanted to emulate them, and a lot of it actually had to do with the violence of the Civil War. There were waaaaay more shootouts on Hollywood/Italian sets than there ever were in the Western states and territories.
People knew that everyone else was probably armed and that if you did do a crime you're life wouldn't be worth two cents because Citizens would hunt you down and if you didn't hang you'd wish you had after spending a few years in a Victorian-era prison.
The Northfield, Minnesota bank robbery resulted in the destruction of the Cole-Younger Gang because armed citizens reacted immediately.
Criminals prey upon the weak and the defenseless...only Liberals would see a criminal with his head blown off as the true victim.
One of the 34% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 61% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory (yep...approval for Congress now at 39%...do you believe that!?).
RR... Bulls-Eye...you have
April 13, 2009 - 22:11 ET by bigtimerRR...
Bulls-Eye...you have that dead on the mark.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
The true victim
April 16, 2009 - 21:31 ET by Sergeant ROCKCriminals prey upon the weak and the defenseless...only Liberals would
see a criminal with his head blown off as the true victim.
EXACTLY!!!
"I ask, Sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people. To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them."
George Mason