BELLEVUE, WA – Following statements made by District of Columbia Police Chief Cathy Lanier on CBS “60 Minutes” that private citizens should “take down” mass shooters if possible, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms today is calling on her to take the lead in reforming the District’s ridiculous concealed carry ordinance.
In a segment with Anderson Cooper, Lanier offered a stunning suggestion that almost certainly caused the anti-self-defense lobby to wince.
“If you’re in a position to try to take the gunman down, to take the gunman out, it’s the best option for saving lives before police can get there,” she told Cooper, acknowledging that this goes against what cops have been telling people for decades about not taking direct action.
CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb noted that “this is sound advice, but considering the Draconian gun laws in the District, it will remain difficult if not impossible for most private citizens to do what the chief is suggesting. The District’s insanely prohibitive concealed carry law should be immediately reformed, making it easier and far more affordable for average citizens to get a carry permit.”
“Millions of honest Americans are licensed to carry all over the country,” he observed. “But in the District of Columbia, they’ve written laws to discourage citizens from exercising their Second Amendment right to keep and especially bear arms. That prevents people from defending themselves and their families outside of the home, which is where such an attack would happen.
“We’re glad Chief Lanier departed from the usual narrative and encouraged people to fight back,” he added, “but her advice would have more credibility if she were to take a leadership role in reforming the District’s gun laws. You can’t fight back if you don’t have the tools, and the only way to take a gunman out, as the chief suggested, is to shoot back. That’s pretty hard if you don’t have a gun.”