[OuTcAsT]

Suppose you are a police officer on patrol with your partner in downtown Smileyville America

The first premise was what?

Wendy King, a nurse at the city hospital was enjoying her day off walking from her apartment to meet her husband John Burger King at TGI Fridays a few blocks away when she saw Deputy Thomas hit. She with the help of attorney Perry Mason who was leaving the courthouse walking back to his car pulled Thomas behind a bus stop hut out of view from the snipers.
She began tending his wounds as best she could

They were, by description, clearly "out of view", why should there be a need for perry to "return fire". if you are out of the view of the snipers then you are no longer a target correct?

Perry Mason upon seeing people across the street being dropped one by one fleeing the building then unholsters Thomas' 1911 A-1 and takes his two magazines and dashes behind a tree a tree some yards away to provide cover fire.

Why? he was out of the line of fire, his first responsibility is to protect HIMSELF. he has no obligation to cover anyone's butt but his own.

On the other side of the street, Deputy Ronald McDonald was walking across the street from the courthouse to the Family Law Center on business when the shooting broke out. Two bullets struck the sidewalk next to him and he ducked behind a concrete wall in front of the FLC. He pulls his S&W M-15 and returns fire as best he can to also aid the people fleeing the building.

a commendable act, performed by a sworn officer.

Mr. Tom J. Jackson was an average guy who parked in front of the FLC to go check some probate info on his grandmother who died a few months ago when sniperfire erupted. He couldn't escape. If his car even started moving, it would be one of the first things drilled by the snipers. Traffic around the block was already starting to halt as drivers paniced and swerved or stopped and people exited to get to cover behidn other cars in the lot or behind the short concrete wall aligning the park in front of the building. Nowhere for Mr. Jackson to go. He could see that men were shooting from each side of the building that were visable to him. Bullets were showering down trying to hit him, people under cover around the lot and people fleeing the building. He pulled his AR-15 out from under the back seat, pulled the 30 round magazine from the glove compartment and tried pick of or at least suppress the sniper fire.

Justifiable because his butt is on the line.

Mr. Bobby L. Dabney, a good man who liked to hunt was exiting his car about to go into the courthouse when gunfire erupted on the outside of the FLC. He was in the same situation as Jackson. He pulled his scope mounted 30-06 bolt action from the back of his pickup and tried to pickoff the snipers.

Ditto, because His butt is also threatened.

So there is the story. There are the players. The next question is this. What can be done to prevent this from happening again? More security? Disarming the public? Strip searching everyone who enters the building? OR allowing free carry for everyone who desires to own a gun whereever they choose to carry?

Allow free carry to anyone who can legally do so.