UC Merced Hero Wishes He Had a Gun

by
posted on November 9, 2015
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
gsagi2015_fs-1.jpg (1)

In an exclusive interview with a local TV station, Byron Price, the 32-year-old contractor who intervened when stabbings began on campus, told the reporter he’s changed his mind about concealed carry.

The last lines of the article detail his new perspective and how, “He wishes he had one when this all unfolded.” Price heard a commotion in the building where he was working, and his immediate intervention saved lives, although he was one of the four who were stabbed. Of note in the linked L.A. Times story is the fact that is was campus police—with guns—who took out the criminal before any others were harmed or killed.

Someone a lot wiser than I once said, “The only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is with a good guy with a gun.” Price agrees, and unlike the liberal media who immediately indicted that statement, he has the kind of firsthand experience that should carry weight in the court of public opinion.

Authorities have located a manifesto from the attacker. Items recovered from his backpack included zip ties, duct tape and night vision, which indicates the plan was to harm more people than four. All of the victims are expected to make a full recovery, and only one remains in the hospital.

We can only hope Price’s message gets out. The incident makes it painfully obvious that suspending the right to self-defense in those mythical, weapon- and criminal-free zones, has dire consequences for law-abiding citizens.      

Latest

Stoeger STR-9 Thinline+ pistol
Stoeger STR-9 Thinline+ pistol

New for 2026: Stoeger STR-9 Thinline+ Pistol

Stoeger refines its STR-9 Thinline pistol to be even easier to carry.

Finding The Natural Point Of Aim

Nearly every shooter understands the basic principles of marksmanship: position, grip, sight alignment, breathing, trigger control and follow-through.

Firearm Ownership Reaches New Record

The NSSF estimates there are more than 32 million modern sporting rifles in circulation.

Preview: Hornady 12th Edition Reloading Manual

While the internet offers quick access to information, trusting unvetted recipes for cooking up ammunition is less than ideal, which is why makers of reloading products like Hornady publish thorough books for such tasks.

Review: Bushmaster V-Radicator

The business of dispatching unwanted critters requires a platform capable of a high degree of accuracy. Nuisance animals such as prairie dogs are both small and skittish in nature, meaning that they tend to keep their distance and scurry away upon the arrival of incoming fire.

New for 2026: Smith & Wesson FPC in 5.7x28 mm

The folding carbine line expands to include the 5.7 mm chambering.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.