The coverage of the tragedy in Connecticut has basically put on the back burner the shooting in the Clackamas Town Center mall in Portland, Ore., a few days earlier. A key detail in the Clackamas shooting that was severely under-reported was that there was a legally armed civilian with a concealed-carry permit who confronted the shooter.
A 22-year-old off-duty security guard named Nick Meli was in the Clackamas mall at the time with a friend and her baby. He was carrying his licensed 40-caliber Glock 22. When he heard the shots, he ran toward them and confronted the shooter. He didn't fire but did take aim at the shooter. The shooter saw this, retreated and committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. Had this legally armed citizen not been there to confront the killer, who knows how many lives would have been lost.
Here's a perfect example of an armed private citizen coming to the rescue of others in danger.
I find it very troubling and highly suspicious that this very important detail of the Clackamas mall shooting was kept quiet by most, if not all, of the mainstream media. I bet most of you reading this letter were not aware of this important detail until now.
Could it be that an armed citizen stopping a violent criminal somehow doesn't fit into the mainstream media's attitude that guns and gun owners are all bad? You be the judge.
JOHN PENMAN
Margate
