Most reading this article are likely aware of the horrendous terrorist attack on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, which claimed sixteen lives, that transpired several days prior to this writing. As is no surprise, the Australian government, which has allowed unvetted immigration from problematic regions, now proposes cracking down even harder on guns, in a country with some of the strictest gun control on earth. Yeah, that will do it. Maybe they should make murder more illegal while they are at it. And, courtesy of their gun control, only the two terrorists who committed the atrocity were armed.
According to the information we have so far, the initial police response was abysmal; cops were close by, but the rampage went on for over twenty minutes. A heroic civilian on scene tackled and disarmed one of the two killers, and the hero was then shot by the police as he was holding the long gun he wrestled away from the killer! Fortunately, he survived. The terrorist he disarmed ran away, re-armed, and continued shooting people. This is yet another reminder that holding a long gun in such a situation puts a target on you, especially around police officers this inept. They failed to neutralize the killers, yet shot the good guy. Amazing.
Finally, the incident came to an immediate end when a good cop showed up. Apparently, a detective. He arrived on scene, drew his pistol, and shot both murderers from a distance that is being reported as roughly forty meters. He killed one and dropped the other, who survived, but was neutralized. So, two rifle-armed killers stopped by a man with only his handgun. At forty meters. Thus, we have another example of accomplishing the task that nobody wishes to be faced with, yet may prove necessary: stopping rifle-armed killers with your handgun.
Give that man a beer. The policeman who shot the Bondi Beach terrorists has been identified as local detective Cesar Barraza. Firing from about 40 metres away he killed Sajid, 50, and wounded Naveed, 24. Good drills Detective. pic.twitter.com/OWC70WUkLM
— Fusilier (@firstfusilier) December 17, 2025
In the fall of 2023, I wrote an article here on USA Carry entitled “Stopping a Rifle-Armed Killer with your Handgun: Can it be Done?” In that article, I shared ten examples of where it has been done. One of those ten examples involved neutralizing shots made with a pistol at over seventy yards (Andy Brown at Fairchild Air Force Base). Another involved neutralizing shots made at over forty yards (Eli Dickens in an Indiana Mall). One of those examples also involved a single handgun-armed good guy neutralizing two body armor-wearing, rifle-carrying, terrorists (Officer Gregory Stevens). Can this be done? It has been done, over and over, and over.
This is a very frightening prospect to everyone who carries a handgun, but is also familiar with shooting rifles. As you, the reader, are likely quite aware, a long gun is vastly superior to a pistol in terms of ballistic power, range, and accuracy potential. However, the circumstances of these engagements are not a measured, old-school duel, where each combatant paces off from one another, turns around, and fires. In most of these incidents, the rifle-armed killer is in a rampage, shooting at anything that moves, while the good guy takes position and engages, most often before the killer even knows he is there.
Another fairly recent example of a handgun armed good guy prevailing against a rifle-armed mass killer was covered by Luke McCoy here on USA Carry several months ago, taking place in Las Vagas, in which a fired construction worker returned to his location of employment and opened fire on his ex-coworkers with a rifle, but was immediately stopped by a pistol armed employee at the site. Yet again, a handgun-armed good guy prevails. It can be done. It has been done. Many times.
While the prospect of facing one, or even several, mass killers with rifles, while armed with only a pistol, is terrifying, we now have too many examples of success to ignore. In fact, in the vast majority of times in which someone on-scene has retaliated with a handgun, the good guy has prevailed. Remember that these mass killers are anticipating a slaughter of helpless victims, not a gunfight. And, while the evil doer is distracted looking for helpless victims to slaughter, the righteous defender has one target: the killer. While the terrorist may have the superior weapon, the defender has the superior odds due to the circumstances, especially as a civilian, not wearing a uniform, and with a concealed weapon.
While anyone facing such a situation would rather be armed with a rifle, reality dictates that you will not be. If armed in a public place, it will be with your handgun. Even if you have a long gun in your vehicle, the likelihood of making it to the vehicle to deploy the long gun proves a long shot. Further, carrying a long gun into such a situation is fraught with peril, as has been demonstrated. For these reasons, the armed citizen is much better off preparing for such a scenario through skill with the pistol.
Depending on the situation, you may have the opportunity to neutralize the entirety of the threat. If dealing with one or two mass killers, this may be doable, as several examples clearly demonstrate. If you find yourself at ground zero of a large-scale, Mumbai-style terror attack, in which you are facing a cell of numerous heavily armed terrorists, then getting yourself and your loved ones out of and far away from the situation is in order. While a single self-defender with only a pistol can’t dismantle a large team of terrorists, the pistol may still give you the opportunity to neutralize the threat in the immediate vicinity, thus clearing an exit. Circumstances will dictate the tactics necessary.
As is clearly demonstrated by several of these examples, including this latest from Australia, the ability to shoot at longer-than-average engagement distances is necessary. There are now several documented incidents in which active killers and terrorists have been killed at over forty yards with handgun fire. Are you up to the task? Keeping it brief, I encourage shooters to be able to keep their rounds within an eight-inch A/Down Zero target zone at twenty-five yards, and within a C Zone target at fifty yards, with your carry pistol. If you can’t do this, work on the marksmanship fundamentals necessary. You may also need to reconsider the gun you carry if it is not up to the task. This kind of threat warrants a serious fighting handgun.
Further, apply yourself to remaining fully aware of your surroundings in any crowded public place. Sadly, this is the world we now live in. And, as always, I urge you to acquire emergency medical training so that you know how to control severe hemorrhage, and carry a trauma kit with you when in public.
Gone are the days of the oft-misleading statistics of “three rounds, three yards, three seconds,” when referring to a civilian gunfight. We face a new landscape of heightened threat. However, as should be clear by the excellent track record we now have, handgun-armed good guys tend to prevail, even against staggering odds.
Stay vigilantly alert to your surroundings and be armed at all times with your handgun; it remains the primary weapon for the citizen, even against terrorism. This can be done.
As a recap of the information shared in the 2023 article, here are examples to consider:
1994 – Andy Brown, a military police officer, killed a terrorist with a rifle on Fairchild Air Force Base, making the shot at 70 yards with his Beretta 92.
2007 – A killer with a rifle attacked New Life Church in Colorado Springs, killing two people before being killed by a citizen member of the church security team.
2009 – A killer with a shotgun entered a Carthage, North Carolina, nursing home and killed 8 residents before being wounded and arrested by a single officer with his duty pistol.
2012 – Vic Stacy, a 66-year-old resident of a Texas trailer park, with no military or police background, shot an active shooter who was shooting at police with a rifle. Stacy made a 56-yard kill with his 357 Magnum revolver.
2015 – Garland, Texas, Officer Gregory Stevens neutralized two terrorists with rifles as they exited their vehicle to attack an art exhibition, doing so with only his handgun.
2019 – A killer with a shotgun attacked the Church of Christ Church in Texas, killing two people, then being stopped by 71-year-old Jack Wilson, who made a single shot to the killer’s head.
2021 – Heroic armed citizen Johnny Hurley killed an attacker with a rifle who was killing police officers in Colorado, doing so with his carry pistol.
2022 – Eli Dickens stopped a mass killing in an Indiana mall. He fired the first 4 rounds from 40 yards away, two of the four rounds hit. He then closed the distance to fire another 6 rounds, killing the rifle-armed attacker.
2022 – A woman in Charleston, West Virginia, killed a rifle-armed attacker at a graduation party with her concealed handgun, right after he began shooting, preventing any innocents from being hurt. Ironically, this happened only two days after the Uvalde School attack. I bet not many of you heard about this incident.
2023 – Las Vegas Turnberry Towers, a rifle-wielding attacker in armor and a helmet shot out the front glass and entered the lobby of the facility, but was killed by a security guard with a handgun immediately. I bet you did not hear about that one either.
Never heard about the Turnberry Towers incident, but that was something to read about. Also, a side note to add, the Nairobi Westgate Mall attack was mitigated, though not stopped, by security AND armed citizens who engaged the 4 well armed terrorists with their handguns. Their actions allowed several hundred citizens to escape, and allowed for the responders to get to some of the victims in the parking structure, etc..