Disabling a gun-wielding historical assassin: Just how easy/difficult to do?

[WolfBear]

Just how easy/difficult would it be for an ordinary person to disable a gun-wielding historical assassin if they were at the right place at the right time? I'm especially focusing on disabling Charles Guiteau, President Garfield's assassin, and Gavrilo Princip, the assassin of Franz Ferdinand and his wife. Just how easy/difficult would it be for an ordinary person to disable them without them themselves getting subsequently shot and killed by Guiteau or Princip in response to this?

 

[stevep]

Just how easy/difficult would it be for an ordinary person to disable a gun-wielding historical assassin if they were at the right place at the right time? I'm especially focusing on disabling Charles Guiteau, President Garfield's assassin, and Gavrilo Princip, the assassin of Franz Ferdinand and his wife. Just how easy/difficult would it be for an ordinary person to disable them without them themselves getting subsequently shot and killed by Guiteau or Princip in response to this?

Think a lot would depend on the circumstances. Such as who the 'ordinary person was and what warning or preparation they had before they were involved in the incident. For instance while I'm a fairly big guy. I'm 63 and not exactly that fit. Too much 'muscle' around the waistline and rear from my strenuous exercise routine on a computer keyboard and mouse and my see-food diet. Also as a northern European I would stick out like a sore thumb in 1914 Sarajevo even assuming I was wearing local clothing and somehow understood the language. Plus without some time to check up on the details of the location and what Princip looked like and did I would need a good amount of luck to be in the correct place to grab his arm say and stop him shooting long enough for others to subdue him. Possibly aided by a well timed knee to the groin as a good way of completing the operation? [Which would also raise the question of what I do afterwards and how I, from a TL that no longer exists, explain my presence to the local authorities.]

 

[Zyobot]

Think a lot would depend on the circumstances. Such as who the 'ordinary person was and what warning or preparation they had before they were involved in the incident. For instance while I'm a fairly big guy. I'm 63 and not exactly that fit. Too much 'muscle' around the waistline and rear from my strenuous exercise routine on a computer keyboard and mouse and my see-food diet. Also as a northern European I would stick out like a sore thumb in 1914 Sarajevo even assuming I was wearing local clothing and somehow understood the language. Plus without some time to check up on the details of the location and what Princip looked like and did I would need a good amount of luck to be in the correct place to grab his arm say and stop him shooting long enough for others to subdue him. Possibly aided by a well timed knee to the groin as a good way of completing the operation? [Which would also raise the question of what I do afterwards and how I, from a TL that no longer exists, explain my presence to the local authorities.]

Yeah, but knowledge-wise, you (and most people commenting here) are probably above average, assuming we take “ordinary person” to mean someone with a generic level of education and critical-thinking skills — which is to say, not nearly enough.

Granted, most people may have learned about the broad strokes of World War I in school, but other than Franz Ferdinand (and maybe Gavrilo Princip), I doubt they know all that many of the key names or could describe his assassination if you quizzed them on it. When it was, where it happened, who Princip worked for, why Ferdinand was so important to keeping the peace, all basic factoids that — even for those who vaguely recollect them — don’t provide them a moment-by-moment “script” to work with telling them which sandwich shop Princip was at, when the car stopped, or how close he got when he opened fire, among other details. So, really, I don’t have high hopes of their presence changing much, other than random butterflies caused by them simply being back in 1914 — let alone what they do next. If anything, they’ll get themselves into further trouble, all without stopping Ferdinand’s assassination or World War I from still happening more or less on schedule.

 

[stevep]

Yeah, but knowledge-wise, you (and most people commenting here) are probably above average, assuming we take “ordinary person” to mean someone with a generic level of education and critical-thinking skills — which is to say, not nearly enough.

Granted, most people may have learned about the broad strokes of World War I in school, but other than Franz Ferdinand (and maybe Gavrilo Princip), I doubt they know all that many of the key names or could describe his assassination if you quizzed them on it. When it was, where it happened, who Princip worked for, why Ferdinand was so important to keeping the peace, all basic factoids that — even for those who vaguely recollect them — don’t provide them a moment-by-moment “script” to work with telling them which sandwich shop Princip was at, when the car stopped, or how close he got when he opened fire, among other details. So, really, I don’t have high hopes of their presence changing much, other than random butterflies caused by them simply being back in 1914 — let alone what they do next. If anything, they’ll get themselves into further trouble, all without stopping Ferdinand’s assassination or World War I from still happening more or less on schedule.

That's why I asked the circumstances. If their given knowledge beforehand so they could do some research and/or are moved to exactly the right place and time they could do something but otherwise its going to be difficult unless they possibly have recent military experience.

Afterwards either way their rather a fish out of water.

 

[49ersfootball]

Think a lot would depend on the circumstances. Such as who the 'ordinary person was and what warning or preparation they had before they were involved in the incident. For instance while I'm a fairly big guy. I'm 63 and not exactly that fit. Too much 'muscle' around the waistline and rear from my strenuous exercise routine on a computer keyboard and mouse and my see-food diet. Also as a northern European I would stick out like a sore thumb in 1914 Sarajevo even assuming I was wearing local clothing and somehow understood the language. Plus without some time to check up on the details of the location and what Princip looked like and did I would need a good amount of luck to be in the correct place to grab his arm say and stop him shooting long enough for others to subdue him. Possibly aided by a well timed knee to the groin as a good way of completing the operation? [Which would also raise the question of what I do afterwards and how I, from a TL that no longer exists, explain my presence to the local authorities.]

Didn't Garfield have any bodyguards with him at the train station when he got shot ?