Man carrying gun at Nairobi Mall saved a 100 lives
UPDATED: Apparently, it was an "Ex Royal Marine with a handgun saved 100 lives as terrorists ran amok." It also appears that he was able to carry a gun because he had a job with either a private security agency or the Kenyan government. Fortunately, he just happened to be near the mall having coffee with friends. Question: Would gun control advocates let former soldiers carry guns in the US?
ORIGINAL POST: Fortunately for 100 people this off-duty British Special Air Service had his handgun with him. From the UK Daily Mail:
ORIGINAL POST: Fortunately for 100 people this off-duty British Special Air Service had his handgun with him. From the UK Daily Mail:
An off-duty member of the SAS emerged as a hero of the Nairobi siege yesterday, after he was credited with saving up to 100 lives.
The soldier was having coffee at the Westgate mall when it was attacked by Islamists on Saturday.
With a gun tucked into his waistband, he was pictured helping two women from the complex.
He is said to have returned to the building on a dozen occasions, despite intense gunfire.A friend in Nairobi said: ‘What he did was so heroic. He was having coffee with friends when it happened.
‘He went back in 12 times and saved 100 people. Imagine going back in when you knew what was going on inside.’ . . .Side note: What lessons will Americans take from this?
The suburban Minneapolis mall, owned by real estate development and finance company Triple Five Group of Edmonton, Alberta, is monitoring the news from Nairobi and working with law-enforcement agencies, the center’s management said today in an e-mailed statement. The Bloomington, Minnesota, property, which opened in 1992, has more than 520 stores, an indoor amusement park, an aquarium and a movie theater.
“Mall of America has implemented extra security precautions,” according to the statement. “Some may be noticeable to guests, and others won’t be. We will continue to follow the situation, along with law enforcement, and will remain vigilant as we always do in similar situations.” . . . .Kenyabans both open and concealed carrying of firearms, but that didn’t stop the terrorists from using guns. Apparently, this Ex Royal Marine may have had a job with a private security agency or the Kenyan government. From the UK Independent:
The British military regularly train and operate in East Africa, often using Kenya as a base for tracking UK citizens suspected of being involved in terrorist activities in Somalia and Kenya.
A large number of former soldiers continue to live in the country after their service ends, working as security personnel for private agencies and the Kenyan government. . . .
posted by John Lott at 11:47 PM
6 Comments:
And he did it without body armour. I highly doubt a liberal hipster would do the same.
Complete anecdotal bullshit. How was "100 people" calculated? It was pulled out of someone's ass!
Dear Jack:
If you actually read the news article, you would see how they calculated it: he made 12 trips into the Mall and they added up the number of people he brought out with him on each trip.
John - I think there is no doubt he was heroic. That his actions saved 100 people (+/-). That he was the right guy in the right place at the right time.
In all that I have read, I can't tell if the handgun played a part in any of the rescues. As a former SAS soldier, he may well have taken the same action with or without having the handgun. The question is, did he have to use it or was it a factor in him deciding to return over and over.
I too doubt a liberal hipster or really many people would have risen to that level of heroism.
Dear Greg:
As I noted in the update from earlier this week, he was not an SAS soldier, he was an ex-Royal Marine. There is a substantial difference there. In any case, the gun surely made his job much easier.
Typical Daily Mail tabloid article, rife with vivacious innuendo. No evidence he -used- the firearm. Also from that picture it appears very unlikely it was his, or certainly that he had it with him when attack started.
Kenya does not allow open carry or CC. Further, no firearm holster. Tucked into pants ready to blow off his family jewels? No, that isn't a planned carry.
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