Thank God the Charleston killer didn’t get his hands on an AR-15, or someone might have gotten hurt. Needless to say, the media and hysterical types are going to town with the fact that the killer wanted an AR, but supposedly couldn’t afford one. The deadliest mass shooting in America, Virginia Tech, was carried out with ordinary handguns. Handguns can be plenty lethal when the killer manages to find a small, enclosed space, can block exits, and is facing unarmed opponents with nowhere to run. A lot of Virginia Tech students jumped out of windows to escape the killer, but the confined nature of the setting is a big reason the killer managed to kill so many.
I’m not saying an AR-15 can’t be more deadly than a pistol, it certainly can be, but in a confined space, a handgun can be just as effective a tool. Despite the fact that I have an AR-15, I usually don’t keep it ready for home defense. I’ve found some of the hallways in my house to be a bit tight even with a carbine. Needless to say, I think the media are overhyping this. Bob Owens also points out that the Glock handgun the killer chose was actually no cheaper than an AR-15 can be found for.
The usual playbook – throw spaghetti against the wall and see what sticks
Given a confined or crowded enough space, edged weapons – knives and machetes especially – are potentially more lethal than any firearm.
Now, that presumes bad-breath distance and/or shoulder-jostling crowds, but it’s true nonetheless.
Oh, Gawd. This is one of the biggest stretches I’ve seen them do.
Plus, this is one of the rare incidents where the killer stopped the rampage on his own accord. He intentionally left at least one survivor, and drove off. This whole “imagine if he had a evil bullet hose sprayer” fails on so many levels.