BELLEVUE, WA – A bizarre incident in Cincinnati, Ohio last night proves that good guys with guns can act not only in self-defense, but the defense of others and the safety of the neighborhood, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.

A neighborhood argument between a man and woman, identified as 62-year-old Thomas McCary and Jeaneta Walker, turned into a gunfight, according to published reports. Walker’s brother, Patrick Ewing, a legally-armed private citizen, became the first responder, and something of a hero in the process, those reports indicate.

McCary and Walker were arguing and when Ewing came over to investigate; McCary allegedly pulled a .38-caliber handgun and opened fire. Ewing, who has a carry permit, drew and returned fire, hitting McCary in the leg, reports say. The older man went into his apartment and came back outside with a gun in each hand, shooting at Walker and her 1-year-old son, and another woman identified as Asia Young. Ewing continued to return fire, attempting to divert McCary’s attention from the women and the toddler. Police later arrested McCary.

“Ewing’s ability to quickly intervene demonstrates the value of an armed citizenry,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “Mr. Ewing put himself in harm’s way, kept McCary from hurting anyone, and stopped what could have become a tragedy before it started.

“Millions of responsible citizens arm themselves against this sort of random violence,” he continued. “The media frequently ignores stories where guns save lives, and the gun prohibition lobby would love to suppress all such reports, but this time, the local newspaper and a television news team did their jobs.

“Had this happened in a so-called ‘gun-free zone,’ Mr. Ewing would have been unable to take decisive action and save lives,” Gottlieb added. “Every day, armed citizens use guns in self-defense, frequently without a shot being fired. Countless lives are saved and crimes thwarted because a good guy with a gun was there when the need arose.

“The public disarmament crowd ignores these stories because they don’t fit the anti-gun narrative,” he concluded. “This time, a good guy acted, a bad guy lost and the gun control lobby is nowhere to be found.”