Thankfully it Wasn't a "Gun-Free" Zone

Libertarians and other advocates of the right to bear arms have long argued that the presence of law-abiding but gun-toting citizens might well reduce the number of large-scale shooting incidents, both by discouraging them in the first place and stopping them before they get out of control.

The second of the church shootings yesterday provides another example to bolster this point:

A New Life parishioner acting as a security guard shot and killed the gunman who entered the church Sunday afternoon after he had gotten no more than 50 feet inside the building, Boyd said.

Boyd said the female security guard was a hero in preventing further bloodshed, rushing to confront the gunman just inside the church.

"She probably saved over a hundred lives," Boyd said of the guard, whom he said is not a law enforcement officer and used her personal weapon.

I hope there's nine Supreme Court Justices about to hear a case on the DC gun ban who read the paper carefully. Respecting the right to bear arms is more often than not a way to reduce violence.

UPDATE: she was a former Minneapolis police officer, but was in attendance as a private citizen on Sunday.

LATER UPDATE: the shot that killed the gunman was self-inflicted, but only after multiple shots from the woman had put him down.