After dramatic video showing how an armed private citizen intervened to stop a madman’s knife attack at a Traverse City, Mich., Walmart on Saturday, a leading national gun rights organization is hailing the Samaritan as a hero, and recognizing the man’s “remarkable control of the situation.”
Michigan resident Derrick Perry is seen on the video, apparently captured by a witness identified by The Hill as Chris O’Brien, with a drawn handgun aimed directly at the slasher suspect, identified as Bradford James Gille. According to the New York Post, he faces 11 counts of assault and one count of terrorism. The suspect reportedly has a record of other encounters with law enforcement.
Eleven people were wounded in the attack, which occurred Saturday afternoon. Traverse City is located on the west side of lower Michigan, on the south end of Lake Michigan’s Grand Traverse Bay. Published reports indicate all of the victims will survive.
The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms is hailing Perry’s quick action for saving lives and bringing a brutal attack to an end.
“Not only did he confront the suspect,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb about Perry’s intervention, “he exercised remarkable control of the situation, which was captured on video that has been seen by millions of Americans on various network news broadcasts. He held the suspect at gunpoint until responding law enforcement could arrive and take the man into custody.”
Perry was backed up by other witnesses in the parking lot. Perry can be heard on the audio of the video, yelling at the suspect to drop the knife.
“Armed citizens have often intervened to stop deadly attacks,” said Gottlieb, who has co-authored several books dealing with the importance of the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. “When such incidents occur, we are often disappointed when the establishment media seems to quickly downplay, if not completely ignore, the use of a firearm by an armed citizen to intervene and stop the mayhem. This time, the incident was captured on video, so it cannot be ignored. Mister Perry’s courageous action deserves recognition, not just by his fellow Michigan residents, but by Americans everywhere.”
Hundreds of thousands of Michiganders are licensed to carry, according to data from the Michigan State Police.
The story of Perry’s heroic intervention has circled the globe, with reports appearing in The Daily Mail—a UK publication—and the Hindustan Times, based in India. Perry is described as a former U.S. Marine, who was shopping at the Walmart with his family.
This is not the first time an armed citizen has intervened to stop an attack. Yet, the establishment media has sometimes been reluctant to acknowledge such actions. In recent years, however, with increasing numbers of legally-armed citizens in many states, the reluctance appears to be diminishing.
