A Good Guy With a Gun Stopped the Killer
Police arrived phenomenally fast. Kaylub Giamanco had already stopped the threat.
Kaylub Giamanco deserves to be called a hero. When a gunman attacked Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon, on October 15, the father of two students followed him inside and fatally shot him. His family confirmed that he holds a concealed carry permit. A good guy with a gun stopped a bad guy with a gun.
Police received the first report of gunfire at 12:59 p.m. and arrived at 1:02 p.m. Three minutes is a phenomenally fast response, and those officers deserve credit. Before they arrived, however, Giamanco had already confronted and stopped the killer, who still had approximately 44 shotgun rounds remaining. Even that outstanding police response could not beat a good guy with a gun already on target.
Governor Tina Kotek is a Democrat, and the local Democratic Party identifies Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler as a Democrat. Kotek’s statement thanked staff, parents, and first responders before separately acknowledging the citizen who intervened, without mentioning his firearm. To this writer, that acknowledgment reads like a necessary afterthought, when the means by which he stopped the killer deserved direct recognition.
The teacher who tackled the attacker showed extraordinary courage and deserves recognition too. Giamanco’s gunfire ended the attack. Media coverage and political statements should preserve that distinction: a citizen with a concealed carry permit used his firearm to stop a murderer before officers could reach him. That is a powerful argument for responsible, lawful carry.
Carry legally, train seriously, and understand the responsibility that comes with being armed. Kaylub Giamanco stepped into danger and stopped the man attacking his daughters’ school. Thank you, Kaylub. You earned our gratitude.
Sources: ABC News: police timeline and concealed carry permit; Associated Press: armed civilian intervention; Governor Kotek’s statement; National Governors Association; Deschutes Democrats: elected officials.
