On Sunday, a man armed with a rifle opened fire in the food court of an Indiana mall. The suspect fatally shot three people and wounded two others before a witness, armed with a handgun, shot the assailant dead, stopping him from causing further harm.

Police stated that the gunman went into the restroom for a hour to “prepare” before emerging and firing rounds at innocent shoppers. Officials claimed that he had over 100 rounds on him.

NBC reported that Greenwood Police Chief Jim Ison called Dicken “the real hero.” At a press conference regarding the incident, he said, “Many more people would have died last night if not for a responsible armed citizen that took action very quickly within the first two minutes of the shooting.”

The bystander who fatally shot the assailant has been identified as 22-year-old Elisjsha Dicken, who is a lawful owner of a firearm and licensed to carry in the state of Indiana.

The good guy with a gun strikes again, and yet somehow CNN still can’t seem to find the silver lining. “There were at least 434 active shooter attacks in the US from 2000 to 2021, according to ALERRT data . . . Of those 434 active shooter cases, an armed bystander shot the attacker in 22 of the incidents.” The report continued, “Having armed people at the scene who are not law enforcement members can create confusion and carry dire risks, according to a data analysis published by The New York Times.”

Of course, this data fails to include the numerous times that armed citizens have prevented other acts of violence using any weapon or physical force instead of a firearm.

Even using their statistics, 22 mass shooters were deterred or prevented from causing harm. There is no way to know how many lives were saved by those 22 brave individuals.

Law-abiding citizens who are trained and able to carry firearms are the best defense for public safety. The response time for police can vary, (the national average in 2017 was 11 minutes) and the fastest way to ensure your safety is to be armed and ready to address a dangerous situation.

America loves the good guys with guns.