(Jamie Carroll photo / Shutterstock)
July 20, 2022
By Mark Chesnut
Earlier this year when Indiana pro-gun legislators fought to get a constitutional carry measure passed and sent to Gov. Eric Holcomb’s desk, those opposing the bill argued such a law would cost many lives.
“It hurts to see us advancing a piece of legislation that supports spreading and allowing more guns to be on our streets when violent crime is going up in our nation,” Democrat state Sen. Fady Qaddoura said of the measure. “This will make it much easier for people to get access to guns that kill other people.”
On Sunday, however, the whole world learned that Indiana’s new law, which just took effect on July 1, is a true lifesaver. That’s when 22-year-old Elisjsha Dicken of Seymour, Indiana, drew his concealed carry handgun and opened fire at a man armed with two rifles and a pistol who was randomly shooting people at the Greenwood Park Mall food court.
“Many more people would have died last night if not for a responsible armed citizen who took action within the first two minutes of this shooting,” Greenwood Police Chief James Ison said of the shooting, which claimed the life of three and injured two others.
Advertisement
Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers went even further, calling Dicken a “Good Samaritan” soon after the shooting and before the young hero’s name had been released by police.
“Someone we are calling the ‘Good Samaritan’ was able to shoot the assailant and stop further bloodshed,” Myers said in a released statement. “This person saved lives tonight. On behalf of the City of Greenwood, I am grateful for his quick action and heroism in this situation.”
According to various media reports, Dicken was with his girlfriend near the food court when he heard the shooting and saw the shooter. He quickly pushed his girlfriend down, telling her to stay down.
Advertisement
Dicken then engaged the shooter at 40 yards, miraculously landing eight of his 10 shots and putting an immediate end to the incident. An attorney for Dicken said he would not be making any public comment out of respect for the three victims until authorities wrapped up their investigation.
To most thinking individuals, the combination of the new constitutional carry law and a young man willing to utilize that law and face danger to save others resulted in far fewer lives lost than would have been the case had Dicken not been armed and ready. Ironically, anti-gun groups like the Brady Campaign not only won’t admit that passage of the constitutional carry law played a part in saving lives on Sunday, but they somehow managed to blame the murders on that law.
“A gunman shot and killed three people and injured two others at a mall in Greenwood, Indiana,” the group ridiculously tweeted . “This tragedy comes after Indiana repealed its requirement for a permit to carry a handgun in public, which went into effect July 1.”
In the end, folks like the Brady Campaign and other gun-ban advocates can continue to spin the situation however they want. But two things will always remain true: Dicken wouldn’t have been carrying his firearm had the law not passed, and he would not have been able to kill the attacker, saving countless lives.
About the Author Freelance writer and editor Mark Chesnut is the owner/editorial director at Red Setter Communications LLC. An avid hunter, shooter and political observer, he has been covering Second Amendment issues and politics on a near-daily basis for the past 20 years.
