[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by pylon

I find it quite interesting, that for the first time ever I recall a civilian stepping in, and stopping one of these shooting sprees, the tool to do it, wasn't a firearm.

But arming every teacher and student is still the most rational solution, right NRA?

There was also an incident from last year where an unarmed school employee calmly talked a gunman into peacefully surrendering himself to the police.

With 870 children inside aged between five and 11 years and Hill confessing that he had not been taking his psychiatric medication, the nation was, in all likelihood, staring down the barrel of yet another horrific school shooting.

Luckily for everybody, Hill took as his hostage the school bookkeeper, Antoinette Tuff. What followed was an amazing illustration of calm and brinkmanship by Tuff – all recorded on her call to emergency services – during which she managed to successfully negotiate between Hill and the police.

"We're not going to hate you," she said, referring to him first as "sir" and later as "sweetie" and "baby". "My pastor, he just started this teaching on anchoring, and how you anchor yourself in the Lord," recalled Tuff, who said she was terrified. "I just sat there and started praying."

And so in between updates with the 911 dispatcher she shared her own travails with Hill, telling him about her divorce and disabled son, all the while reassuring him. "I love you. I'm proud of you. We all go through something in life. You're gonna be OK. Sweetheart. I tried to commit suicide last year after my husband left me." Eventually, while keeping police at a distance, she persuaded him to give up his weapons, lie on the floor and give himself up.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentis...-from-politics