# Bend, Oregon: on murdering child murderers {Moderator Instruction: Don't be the poster that turns this into a Gun Debate} **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 16, 2026, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bend-oregon-on-murdering-child-murderers-moderator-instruction-dont-be-the-poster-that-turns-this-into-a-gun-debate/1033894 "2026-10-16T18:11:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 18
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bend-oregon-on-murdering-child-murderers-moderator-instruction-dont-be-the-poster-that-turns-this-into-a-gun-debate/1033894/18 "2026-10-16T18:49:55Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > But then, a member of the public (not law enforcement) killed the shooter. Shot a 16-year-old dead, vigilante justice without due process of law. I can see an upside (prevented the further killing of schoolchildren and school personnel), but also a major downside (themselves murdering a child). It’s complicated. He didn’t murder a child. He killed an active shooter. That’s not murder. There are certainly downsides, and the risk that he accidentally hits a child in the crossfire is one, or that he identifies the wrong kid and kills an innocent by mistake, are both serious problems with the “good guy with a gun” narrative. But the fact that he killed _this particular kid_ at _this particular time_, preventing him from killing even more kids which he was actively in the process of attempting, is _undoubtedly_ a good thing. > [@Dr.Drake](#): > > What isn’t complicated is the press coverage I’ve seen so far, which seems to be universally praising the guy who killed the 16-year-old murderer. He saved multiple lives. If your kid was the next one in line when this “vigilante” shot the active shooter, you would be grateful. Anyone would be. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bend-oregon-on-murdering-child-murderers-moderator-instruction-dont-be-the-poster-that-turns-this-into-a-gun-debate/1033894)._