Bringing a Gun to a Knife Fight

Works better than the other way around: Man With AR-15 Stops Man With Knife

News from Illinois:

A man armed with an AR-15 rifle stopped an attack by one of his neighbors and held him until police arrived.
It happened Monday at an apartment building on Harbor Drive in Oswego Township.
Police say it all began when someone with a knife attacked another person during an argument.
Neighbor Dave Thomas, who witnessed the attack, went into his home, got his rifle and ordered the suspect to stop.
“I poked my head out the door. There was a pool of blood, blood was everywhere in the hall. There was still a confrontation going on, there were about three or four people involved at this point,” Thomas said. “So I ran back into my house and grabbed my AR-15. I grabbed the AR-15 over my handgun — bigger gun, I think a little more of an intimidation factor. Definitely played a part in him actually stopping.”
The suspect was able to get away briefly, before he was captured by police.
The stabbing victim was taken to the hospital. No word yet on that person’s condition.
Police say Thomas has a valid firearm owner’s identification card and a concealed carry permit.
“The AR-15 is my weapon of choice for home protection,”Thomas said. “It’s light, it’s maneuverable. If you train and know how to use it properly, it’s not dangerous. And this is just a perfect example of good guy with an AR-15 stopped a bad guy with a knife. And there were no lives taken, so all in all it was a good day.”

The “intimidation factor” — the fact that the weapon is scary-looking — is also, unfortunately, part of the psychology involved in media distortions about so-called “assault rifles.” The phrase itself is misleading. An actual assault rifle is fully automatic, and such weapons have been strictly licensed by federal law for more than 80 years. What we are talking about are semi-automatic weapons, and I got my first semi-automatic rifle (a .22-caliber Winchester) for Christmas when I was 12 years old.

I might have been 14 when I got my first .22, but it was only a bolt action. We need kids these days to know more about firearms, not less. High schools should have firing ranges and safety classes.