We’ve reported many times about how bad things usually end when someone brings a knife to a gunfight—primarily for the knife wielder. Well, chalk one up for the good guy with a knife.
In a recent Muslim terrorist attack in a “gun-free” zone at Old Dominion University in Virginia, the gunman entered a classroom and asked if it was an ROTC class. When students confirmed that it was, he yelled “Allahu Akbar” and began shooting.
The instructor, decorated Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, was shot and later died from his wounds. According to the university, Shah enlisted in the Army in 2003 and served several tours, with deployments during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Par for the course, since the attack occurred in a gun-free zone, only the murderer was armed with a gun. But never discount the courage and resourcefulness of ROTC cadets who just watched their instructor be shot down in front of his classroom. Armed with a knife and fists, students jumped the killer and put an end to the attack.
Dominique Evans, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Norfolk field office, put it best when she explained to the media in attendance that the students subdued him and “rendered him no longer alive.” “I don’t know how else to say it,” she said, adding that the students showed “extreme bravery and courage” and prevented further loss of life.
The attack once again highlighted the fallacy of “gun-free” zones. Where such areas exist, only those bent on murder and carnage are armed, while victims have to rely on whatever weapons they might have on hand to defend themselves—this time successfully.
This attack also highlighted the danger of liberal prosecutors ignoring the backgrounds of violent criminals, combined with the past failure to enforce immigration policy. The shooter, whom we won’t name here, had pleaded guilty in 2016 to attempting to aid the Islamic State and was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
However, he was released early and was on supervised release when he carried out the attack. It wasn’t immediately clear why he had been released from prison early, or why he hadn’t had his naturalized citizen status revoked and been deported after he was released, considering his past support for the Islamic terror groups.
Incidentally, what most in the so-called “mainstream” media won’t tell you is that the Old Dominion attack was one of several such recent attacks. In fact, at least four domestic terrorist attacks were launched across the country during the first half of March.
Earlier, on March 2, a gunman wearing clothes with an Iranian flag design and the words “Property of Allah” killed two people and wounded 14 outside a bar in Austin, Texas. Austin police shot and killed the attacker, and authorities later found an Iranian flag when searching his home.
Then, on March 7, two radical Islamists were arrested and charged with throwing homemade improvised explosive devices at peaceful protestors outside the mayor’s mansion in New York City. They, too, reportedly yelled “Allahu Akbar” during the attack.
The same day as the attack at Old Dominion, a brother of a Hezbollah commander rammed his truck into a Jewish synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Before he could hurt anyone, security personnel at the synagogue shot him dead.