A brave woman in Charleston, West Virginia ended a potential mass shooting by using her legally owned firearm. 37-year-old Dennis Butler pulled up to a graduation party at an apartment complex in Charleston will ill intentions. He pulled out an AR-15 rifle and began to open fire on the crowd of party-goers. The aforementioned woman pulled her firearm and successfully ended the threat of a mass shooting. Butler was shot and killed by the woman on the scene. Charleston police say there are no charges pending against her.
Dennis Butler was a convicted felon with an extensive criminal record. Butler had been arrested 20 times in Kanawha County, West Virginia alone. That does not count his previous arrests in Pennsylvania – where he is probably originally from. Butler has violent charges and/or allegations in his past, including a case of malicious wounding against a woman in Kanawha County. As a felon, Butler was prohibited from owning any firearms. That did not stop him from brandishing an AR-15 rifle and then opening fire on a crowd of people. Local police are investigating the origin of that particular weapon.
This case is a prime example of why law-abiding citizens have the right to bear arms. In the wake of the Uvalde, Texas shooting many people are asking legislators to ban the sale of “semi-automatic” weapons. This ban would include nearly every weapon on the market outside of pump-action shotguns, revolvers, and bolt-action rifles. The term “semi-automatic” simply refers to a magazine-fed weapon that shoots once per trigger pull. If these weapons are banned from stores, it would only affect law-abiding citizens. Criminals would get their guns just the same way that convicted felon Dennis Butler did. Illegally. And if (when) criminals decide to engage in unlawful, deadly behavior then citizens would be completely vulnerable and unable to defend themselves.
There is always the option of calling the police when a mass shooting takes place. Recent events show us that the police may not be willing or able to protect everyone all of the time. The best thing to do is simply follow the founding fathers of the United States’ lead and uphold the Second Amendment.
SOURCES:
Court records: Man killed in Charleston shooting had extensive criminal history | WCHS
Woman with Pistol Stops Man Firing at Graduation Party Crowd with AR-15
Police: Woman with pistol killed man who shot at crowd of people in Charleston | WCHS
Armed female bystander kills man firing at party in West Virginia – BBC News
West Virginia Woman Fatally Shoots Gunman Who Opened Fire on Party Guests | National Review
‘Good gal with a gun’: Woman with pistol kills gunman at party | WBOY.com
