Gun Free Zones do not protect people; people protect people 

Mall of America

We have another example of how Gun Control and Gun Free Zones do not protect people with the Mall of America shooting. Here is what we know so far:

The Mall of America under Minnesota state law is a gun free zone. The Mall of America posts these signs:

At least 6 gang members were carrying firearms despite the law and involved in shooting and killing a 19-year old. 5 have been arrested so far. 2 are 18 years old and 3 are 17 years old. Minnesota does not issue CCW permits to anybody under 21, so they were carrying illegally. It was illegal for them to carry in the Mall. One of them is believed to be the shooter who killed the 19 year old. It is possible another of them also fired a firearm, but all are suspects involved according to police.

There were 16 police officers on duty in the Mall. Despite that all of the suspects left the Mall without being arrested, and went to White Castle to eat.

Compare that the the Greenwood Mall shooting. Where state law does not give the No Weapons signs legal force, and an attempted mass shooting was stopped by a concealed carry holder.

Greenwood Park Mall

The Greenwood Park Mall shooting occurred in the state of Indiana. Specifically, at the Greenwood Park Mall in Greenwood, Indiana, a suburb located just south of Indianapolis .(Wikipedia)

During the incident, a gunman opened fire in the mall’s food court, resulting in the deaths of three individuals and injuries to two others. The shooter was subsequently fatally shot by Elisjsha Dicken, a 22-year-old legally armed civilian who was present at the scene .(Axios, Wikipedia)

The swift intervention by Dicken was widely recognized and praised by local and state officials for preventing further casualties .


My Thoughts

“These incidents make one thing clear: gun-free zones and restrictive carry laws may disarm the law-abiding, but they do little to stop those with criminal intent. Real safety comes not from signs and statutes alone, but from empowering responsible citizens to protect themselves and others when seconds count.”

In areas where civilians were legally permitted to carry firearms, the intervention rate by armed citizens was even higher. The CPRC found that in such locations, armed civilians stopped 51.5% of active shooter incidents, compared to 44.6% stopped by police.

Read this study:

At The Federalist: Study: Concealed Carriers Do A Better Job Of Stopping Active Shooters Than Police


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