[Windflier]

"We also know that while having a gun in the hands of a citizen may not stop most murderers, it can sometimes mitigate the damage they inflict."

"We" don't know any such thing. What an utterly specious statement.

The exact opposite is mostly true.

The author gets it right in the balance of this excerpt.

[Yo-Yo]

"We also know that while having a gun in the hands of a citizen may not stop most murderers, it can sometimes mitigate the damage they inflict."

What part of this sentence do you disagree with? "Mitigate" means to "make less severe, serious, or painful."

I find no fault in the sentence. Armed citizens may not stop most murders, but they can mitigate (lessen) the damage they inflict. The Texas church shooting is a prime example. Armed citizens couldn't stop the gunman from taking two lives, but most likely prevented the loss of several more lives.

[super7man]

"We" don't know any such thing. What an utterly specious statement.

I can not see what you object to in the statement.

John Corrida in the attached link explains over and over that the bad guys always have the advantage in the first few seconds. They determine the time, place and method of the assault and essentially come out of "ambush".

Knowing the cues of someone's actions either before the assault or in the first few moments, having a plan, and acting on it can certainly mitigate the damage of an assault.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsE_m2z1NrvF2ImeNWh84mw