Heroic school shootouts with armed bystanders are mostly myth

Alex Rubalcava’s idea to arm teachers with guns lacks rigorous or informed analysis (letter Oct. 17).

It’s largely a myth that bystanders with guns can stop an active shooting event. In a 2014 report, the FBI noted that over half of all active shootings end when the shooter flees or turns the gun on himself. Twenty-five percent end in a shootout with police. Only 3 percent ended when an armed bystander got involved.

Mr. Rubalcava doesn’t consider the implications of an armed teacher. What if the gun goes off accidentally and shoots a student? What if a student, knowing a teacher is armed, takes the gun to use on other students?

If an armed intruder enters a school to commit mayhem, panic and adrenaline make hitting the intended target less than certain. For example, in September a “good guy with a gun” drove up to a gas station in Texas and noticed a carjacking next to him. He drew his gun, fired and shot the victim in the head without striking the perpetrators.

I could even forget the gun in the restroom, like what happened in a school in Michigan, or shoot myself (like what happened to a teacher in Utah). Let common sense rule over fear or fantasy heroic shootouts.

This story was originally published October 25, 2015 at 11:53 AM with the headline "Heroic school shootouts with armed bystanders are mostly myth."