Expert: Armed Citizens 'Last Line Of Defense' Against Lone Wolf Terror Attacks

Fox News columnist and author John R. Lott argued on Monday that armed citizens are the last line of defense against individual, ISIS-inspired or ISIS-type lone wolf actions such as the recent one in Ottawa, Canada.

Lott provides a sampling of recent attacks, including “the car attack in Quebec,” the attack on the War Memorial and Parliamentary building in Ottawa, “the hatchet assault in New York City,” and the car attack in Jerusalem. 

He also cites the September 26 beheading in Oklahoma City. 

Taking all these attacks into consideration — and the fact that ISIS encourages its Muslim adherents to engage in “lone wolf” attacks — Lott asks, “What can be done to protect public safety?” His answer: “When the police and military can’t be everywhere, the last line of defense is having more citizens carry guns.” 

But Lott argues that governments are taking a more costly approach which will not in any way guarantee an end to such attacks. 

For example, in Ottawa the Canadian government is giving security agencies more “surveillance power” in the wake of the October 22 attack. And in the United States, officials announced “beefed up security” at federal buildings, which only tells attackers to pick other buildings — municipal, county-level, etc. — for their attacks.

All the while, good guys with guns stopped the attackers in Ottawa, New York City, Jerusalem, and Oklahoma City. Sometimes these good guys were on duty police officers responding to emergency calls, but at other times they were citizens bearing arms.

Citizens bearing arms are the last line of defense against would-be lone wolf attackers who may be planning new assaults even now, Lott argues. 

Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.