JOHN LOTT: Armed doctor saved lives.

The attacker, Richard Plotts, is a convicted felon, which bans him from legally owning a gun. But Pennsylvania’s universal background check law did not stop him. Neither did the hospital’s signs banning guns. . . .

At Mercy Fitzgerald, caseworker Theresa Hunt was killed when Plotts opened fire during a regularly scheduled appointment with Dr. Lee Silverman. Fortunately, the doctor had his own gun and returned fire, hitting Plotts three times and critically wounding him.

After firing all the bullets in his gun, Plotts still had 39 bullets on him . . .

Yeadon Police Chief Donald Molineux was clear: “Without a doubt, I believe the doctor saved lives. … Without that firearm, this guy [Plotts] could have went out in the hallway and just walked down the offices until he ran out of ammunition.” . . .

Silverman, the hero here, apparently broke the gun-free zone rule the hospital had imposed, but he appears to be in no danger of disciplinary action and the hospital announced it was thankful for the “brave and difficult action” of Silverman and his colleagues. The hospital specifically noted: “We look forward to Dr. Silverman’s return to serving patients at our hospital.”