A New York Times editorial claims “public safety” would be at risk if Donald Trump signs national reciprocity for concealed carry permits into law.

The NYT suggested that such a move will only further the “fantasy” Trump embraced during the campaign; the “fantasy that citizens can stand up to gunmen by shooting it out.”

On June 27, 2016, approximately two weeks after the attack on the gun-free zone in the Orlando Pulse nightclub, a concealed carry permit holder stopped a mass shooting outside a Spartanburg, South Carolina, nightclub. The concealed permit holder stopped the attempted mass shooting by drawing his own gun and shooting the attacker. May 31, 2015, an armed citizen pulled his own gun and opened fire on an alleged attacker inside a liquor store, thereby ending a would-be mass shooting. The incident occurred at the Magnet Bottle Shop in Conyers, Georgia, where the attacker was randomly shooting at anyone in his path. Forty-four year old Todd C. Scott drew his own gun and opened fire, ending the attack. On April 17, 2015, an Uber driver with a concealed carry permit thwarted an attempted mass shooting by pulling his own weapon and shooting a gunman who had opened fire in Chicago’s Logan Square. On March 22, 2015, a man who opened fire on children and adults in a Philadelphia barbershop was shot and killed by a citizen with a concealed carry permit. The permit holder was outside, walking past the barbershop when he heard shots. He ran inside and killed the attacker.

The NYT also suggests the use of concealed carry handguns for self-defense is a “myth.” Here are a two recent examples of the “myth” taking place:

On November 27, 2016, a food store clerk in Florida survived an armed robbery by pulling his concealed carry handgun and shooting–and killing–the armed assailant. Two weeks ago in Levittown, Pennsylvania, a customer in Porfirio’s II Pizza pulled a Glock handgun and shot and killed one of two alleged armed robbers and left the second robbery suspect in “serious condition.”

What follows is just a microcosm of the mythical used of concealed carry guns during 2014 and 2015. This list is a just a glimpse into a six week time period:

The NYT’s claims that it is “fantasy” to think concealed permit holders can stop shootings and that it is “myth” that concealed carry guns are used for self-defense are not new. The NYT made very similar claims on October 26, 2015 and was aided, at that time, by a companion piece in The Washington Post which claimed that .0002266% of concealed permit holders have been accused of a mass shooting. The WaPo suggested that such accusations against .0002266% of permit holders proves concealed carry makes Americans less safe.

But an armed citizen at the Orlando Pulse could have stopped or at least lessened that attack in the same way that the concealed permit holder stopped the March 22, 2015, attack at the Philadelphia barbershop. An armed citizen at the December 2, 2015, San Bernardino attack would have stopped or least lessened the severity of that vicious shooting spree. And armed citizens could have stopped or at least lessened the severity of the November 13, 2015, Paris attack that killed 130.

Regarding Paris, Trump said:

One of the things I bring up, and I bring it up all the time, is the Second Amendment. Because, when you look at that slaughter that took place–Paris is one of the toughest guns zones, you can’t have a gun. France also, you can’t have a gun. It’s virtually impossible to get one. And you look at those places where it was carnage, it was horrible; a horrible thing to watch and a horrible thing to see….I can tell you, if people in that room–some of them, you don’t need too many…[if they had had guns] they would have had a couple of killings but it wouldn’t have been the good buys, it would have been the bad guys.

So Trump supports national reciprocity. It is a way to be sure there are more concealed carry permit holders in more places, ready and able to defend their lives and the lives of their fellow Americans. The NYT says this puts “public safety” at risk.

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of “Bullets with AWR Hawkins,” a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.