EVIDENCING A SURPRISING DEGREE OF SANITY AND REALISM: D.C. Chief Lanier encourages people to “take the gunman out” in active shooter situations.
In an upcoming segment of “60 Minutes,” Metropolitan Police Chief Police Chief Cathy Lanier says it’s unrealistic to think police will make it to an active shooter situation in time to save lives, so victims will have to prepare to “run, hide or fight.”
“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,” she tells Anderson Cooper for the segment, which will air Sunday at 7 p.m. on CBS.
Lanier said this is radically different from what police have often told people. But after a series of tragic domestic attacks – including the 2013 murders at the D.C. Navy Yard — it is clear that merely calling 911 and waiting for a response isn’t enough.
This is an argument, of course, for widespread gun-carrying, though I’m not 100% sure that Chief Lanier actually realizes that.