[Gorgeguy]

This is a little long, but with all the hoopla over the Oregon and then Conn. shooting, this was not reported. When the nut jobs know there is a gun out there against them, they stop shooting:

Yesterday, Jason at easybakegunclub.com interviewed Nick Meli, the Oregon
concealed carry permit holder who, as we mentioned earlier, confronted
Clackamas mall killer Jacob Roberts. The article (reprinted here with
permission) reveals new information about Meli's role in the incident.

The news is a funny thing sometimes. When something shocking comes out,
everyone rushes to get more and more information as quickly as possible.
When it comes to active shooter or active gunman situations, that rush for
information often runs into the chaos of the situation. We saw that with
the Newtown, Connecticut shooting where media outlets worldwide put the
picture and information of the wrong person up as the gunman only to have
egg on their face later. In Portland, Oregon, that same rush for
information had the mainstream media skip past the fact that a concealed
carrier confronted an active shooter and caused him to abandon his plans,
run for a service corridor and stairway and kill himself as these shooters
typically do . . .

We saw the story and it's lack of coverage and knew it was absolutely an
important story to get out. It was important for concealed carriers / gun
owners rights and even more important that the full story of what happened
come to life and show that these situations can be stopped quickly by a
determined, well-practiced concealed carrier.

We spoke to Nick Meli, Casey, and Ashley late Sunday and got the full story
direct from the people who were there. . . in that moment with the gunman
still active and approaching. While plenty of people want to second guess,
or make assumptions, we're here to bring the full story to light here and
putting all facts on the table.

On Tuesday evening Casey and Ashley went to the mall with Casey's close
friend Nick and Ashley's 4-month-old son Noah. Ashley's boyfriend (who is
also Casey's brother) works at the mall and the group was waiting for him
to get out of a meeting. They had been in the mall for a short while and
were heading to the food court to get a bite to eat. Just as the group
passed the Macy's Home Store and came to Morgan Jewelers three gunshots
rang out.

What we now know was the beginning of gunman Jacob Tyler Roberts's shooting
spree came as a complete shock to everyone. Nick, holding young Noah at the
time, turned to Casey and said, "Are you serious?!?". Casey's simple
answer? "Yes". As Ashley told us, Nick tossed Noah to her and drew his
concealed carry weapon in a single motion.

Not believing the shots to be real Ashley wondered if it was possible the
mall was doing active shooter training, something her boyfriend said they
had done in the evenings before. Then a long series of 10-15 gunshots rang
out. "Once I saw Casey under the jewelry counter and heard the other shots,
I knew it was real," Ashley told us.

Holding young Noah, Ashley's first reaction was to turn her back to the
gunfire and use her body to shield young Noah. Casey yelled at Ashley to
get down so Ashley crawled under the jewelry counter, placing Noah between
the two of them to keep him safe. As the girls took cover Nick, with his
gun drawn, moved behind a pillar and looked towards the shots -- and saw
the gunmen moving towards them.

While keeping eyes on the gunman, Nick told the girls to find better cover
-- the counter they were under was just glass held aloft by metal legs.

Casey got to her feet and unlocked and opened the half door to get behind
the store counter. She then told the others, "follow me". In the back area
of the jewelry store the girls found a closet sized bathroom and Ashley,
Noah, and Casey crammed in, along with four other people who had been
trapped in the open. Once in the relative safety of the bathroom one of the
women, a Morgan Jewelers employee, asked Casey why Nick had a gun. Casey's
answer? "He works for a security company. He's one of the good guys".

That's when the girls realized Nick had not gone to cover with them and was
still faced with the gunman. . . and that Ashley's boyfriend was somewhere
in the mall as well -- in his meeting. All the while, young Noah is crying.
Knowing the gunman was still outside and not wanting to be found, Ashley
started feeding Noah to keep him calm and keep him from making any noise.

Knowing the girls were more secure, Nick was now alone and the gunman was
still approaching. Like most malls, Clackamas Town Center's second floor
has walkways by the storefronts with an open middle area so that light gets
through to the bottom floor. The gunman was across that opening from Nick
and continued to approach. Nick noted that the gunman seemed unfamiliar
with the rifle we now know was stolen. Instead of clearing a malfunction
cleanly, the gunman was slapping the gun and pulling the charging handle
with seemingly no plan in mind.

As the gunman came closer, he turned to cross a walkway bridging the open
space and connecting the two sides of the mall so he could continue his
rampage inside the large Macy's Home Store on the other side -- right where
Nick was standing. Nick lined put his front site on the man's head and put
his finger on the trigger. Nick has extensive firearms experience with both
rifles and handguns, at the range of approximately 15-20 yards, this was a
shot he knew he could make, and then. . . movement from behind the shooter,
inside of Charlotte Russe.

As all firearms owners know, Colonel Jeff Coopers Rule #4 is to know your
target and what is behind it. Now Nick knew for sure that, while he had a
good target, what was behind it were innocent people who were terrified. He
removed his finger from the trigger while keeping the gun on the gunman.

Then a dangerous confrontation got worse. Nick heard the distinctive sound
of a malfunction being cleared in the rifle and saw the gunman reach for
another magazine. As the gunman was inserting the fresh magazine, Nick
quickly backed into the Macy's Home Store and took cover while keeping his
eyes on the gunman. Despite being outgunned, Nick stayed in cover but
visible to the gunman.

Knowing he had an armed person in the mall and that this was no longer his
gun-free zone, the gunman avoided the Macy's Home Store and ended his
rampage by fleeing to a service corridor and into the stairwell to the
lower level. He then took his life, unbeknownst to everyone in the mall.
"It seemed like forever but we actually heard the last shot the shooter put
into himself," said Ashley. That single ominous shot after the deafening
silence that covered the mall during the gunman's malfunction was replaced
by Nick's familiar voice shouting, "It's me! It's me!" right before he
opened the door.

Nick said nothing of his encounter, he just said he did not know where the
shooter was and that they should all remain quiet. An elderly woman in the
bathroom asked where her purse was as she was not feeling well and wanted
one of her blood pressure pills. Nick retrieved her medicine, told them all
to remain quiet and went back in front of the store in case the gunman
returned.

Knowing nothing good would come from police seeing an armed man in the mall
yet knowing he could not put his gun away without knowing the mall was
secure, Nick did what every concealed carrier should know to do -- he
called the police. Nick told the 911 operator that he was in the Clackamas
Town Center, that he was armed, and that he did not know where the gunman
was at that time. Nick gave a description of himself to the police so they
would know he was one of the good guys and would not engage on site.

As police arrived, Nick went back and told the girls police were on scene
but to stay in place. Nick holstered his weapon and began speaking with
investigators and covering everything that happened -- having definitive
answers to much of the chaos and conflicting report. No, there was only one
shooter. No, he was not white, he was Hispanic (Nick noticed that from a
small gap of neck that was uncovered between the shirt and mask).

While it seemed like yet another eternity, police came and got the girls
and led them out under an armed escort of seven officers. The police took
them past the Macy's Home Store which was blocked off by officers and down
a service corridor to the outside. Only later did Ashley and Casey realize
they had walked past the staircase the gunman had retreated to before
taking his own life.

Friday night, before the story of Nick's action had made it anywhere, Nick,
Casey, Ashley, and Noah attended the vigil for Steve Forsyth and Cindy Ann
Yuille the two victims killed at the very outset of the gunman's attack.
While hundreds of people gathered by candlelight and sang songs in
remembrance, none outside of the small group realized that Nick had stopped
the gunman and cut his rampage short -- saving the people inside the mall
and our nation a much greater tragedy.

No recognition is exactly what Nick would like. He has eschewed interviews
and plans to continue doing so simply because he did what he felt he had
to. Nick doesn't feel he is a hero so Ashley gets the final word:

"What Nick did and the actions he took saved lives. Whether he shot or not,
he changed the situation and he is the reason nobody else was shot"

For those out there that question Nick's actions -- Nick wasn't reading
words on a screen. He was faced with an active gunman who had already shot
more than 20 rounds, two close friends with a small child to protect,
shocked people in the mall, and it all happened in an instant. From the
time the gunman entered the mall until the time he ended his life was
almost 4 minutes. That's about half the time it took to read this article.