DC Police Chief Encourages Citizens to “Take Out” Terrorists

In a recent interview with 60 minutes, Washington DC Police Chief Cathy Lanier addressed the Paris terrorist attack, and how residents of DC should respond to any future mass shooting events that might happen in their city. However, her advice was in stark contrast to the suggestions that are typical of most police departments.

Lanier told Anderson Cooper that “Your options are run, hide or fight,” before adding that even the best police departments wouldn’t be able to arrive on the scene until after most victims have been killed. She then encouraged citizens to fight back against the gunmen if they are in a good position to do so. “If you’re in a position to try and take the gunman down, to take the gunman out, it’s the best option for saving lives before police can get there.”

Lanier admitted that this may seem counterintuitive, since it flies in the face of what police have been telling citizens for decades. “We always tell people, ‘don’t take action, call 911, don’t intervene in the robbery.’ We’ve never told people, ‘take action.’ This is a different scenario.”

Of course, none of this is really counterintuitive or strange for any normal human being with a sense of self-preservation. Lanier thinks that she’s providing groundbreaking advice, when in reality, average citizens have always been in a better position to defend themselves and to stop terror attacks than the police. Ironically, she’s preaching this message to a city with some of the most stringent gun laws in the country, and where it is next to impossible to receive a concealed carry permit. I suppose she expects us to fight these active shooters with sticks and pocket knives.