Posted on 02/07/2016 7:54:30 AM PST by rktman
How do you think you'd respond in the event of a so-called "active shooter" situation?
Most of us like to think that we'd be able to respond quickly, decisively, and dare I say, it, heroically. The reality of the matter, however, is that the vast majority of people who haven't been properly trained to react would be standing there when the bullets start flying, thinking "this can't be happening to me," as they start taking rounds.
(Excerpt) Read more at bearingarms.com ...
The reality is you won’t know how you will react when a gun is pointed at you or in some other active shooting situation until you’ve been through one. Some untrained people react quickly and effectively. Some trained people freeze up.
That said, training certainly tips the odds toward acting quickly and effectively. A lot!
Wife thinks I am somewhat paranoid as I am always looking around, especially in malls, etc. Even stopping at the stop light. You never know when something will happen (and did to me by my not being aware).
LOL! Lucky for me that Mrs. rktman now checks out exit routes just about every place we go. Now we have 4 eyes apprising the situation.
Banglist (((ping))) for later.....
One of the arguments that the left typically tosses back at us is “How can you tell the good guys from the bad ones?”. I had to chuckle at the scenario videos because everyone was somewhat similarly clothed and outfitted. When the shooting starts do you shoot at anything that moves?
I recall an incident years ago when I took a date to a nightclub in downtown Seattle. As we were sitting there I noticed a group of Asians who stood out not only because they were dressed more for the gym than for a club, but also because they were antsy and fidgety. What I didn’t know was that they were one half of an ongoing rivalry that would soon explode in the crowded room.
What I did know was that I had done my diligence and picked a table where I could watch the room and that had an unobstructed access to an exit. Sure enough, they started their fight and the room went crazy. I was packing but didn’t need to unsheathe - the two gangs didn’t use guns (that I saw).
We made a hasty exit and was out of there before anyone else. Curiously, everyone else was going the other way - wanting to see what was going on.
Sitrep is you friend.
LOL! I guess my one paranoid thing is back to the wall facing out so I can keep an eye on things. Amazing how many people are oblivious. Or are we just a little to high on the orange setting. :>)
re:
“The reality of the matter, however, is that the vast majority of people who haven’t been properly trained to react would be standing there when the bullets start flying, thinking “this can’t be happening to me,” as they start taking rounds.”
That’s because there are too many pansy-butted individuals, when compared to the still-alive number of military veterans, who know what to do!!!
My first thought is “OH BOY! A CHANCE TO HAVE FUN IN THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE!”
Fortunately I’ve never had a gun pointed at me, but I have been in several situations where I had to step in and stop fights, threw a guy twice my size across a bar to stop one, pitch in and help at car wrecks, other emergencies and the one thing I do know is I don’t panic. I was also trained to be part of the firefighter team in military, have enough first aid training to hopefully keep someone alive if need be, and have saved a couple of lives in emergencies when many people would panic and have no idea what to do.
In many cases these days people are afraid to get involved, due to frivolous lawsuits, especially those who decide to sue someone for trying to save their life.
Since I don’t carry, don’t have anything bigger than .22 or the money to take a firearm course, I would have to rely on my wits, at least for now. I like to think I would have sense enough to hit the floor and tell others to do the same, and if possible get behind the shooter. I have enough knowledge of hand to hand combat techniques if I can get close enough to get my hands on him the gun is not a threat...if it’s a knife I’ll walk right up and dare him to try it...I already know my hands are fast enough for that...even at 60 years old, I’m not that slow yet...(yes I’ve had a knife pulled on me before, long ago, but it ended with no injuries.)
If you are armed, it becomes a matter of can you keep your cool or will you panic? Drop to the floor, preferably behind something solid, wait, pick your shot carefully - other people are in harm’s way. And make your first shot count. It may be the only one you get...
I was in a shooting where the fact that I was well trained saved my life. Pure reaction, if I had stopped to think about it I would of been dead.
The same kind of things can be said with regard to simple first aid. Some folks jump into action knowing what to do, while others back off.
When the electricity in a place rises, I get OUT. I might hide around the corner with my 4x4’s though!
Like the opening scene from
Tropic Thunder,
“Peek a Boo”, I see You!
That’s called basic situational awareness, not paranoia, and it is your friend!
At restaurants and fast food places, I used to sit with my back to the center so I could look out the window. Recently I began sitting facing the center (back to wall, window). Wife asked why and I explained Situational Awareness. She didn't say I was paranoid but did look askance.
Nowadays, she's pointing out where the exits are and automatically heads for a spot where we can keep watch on the rest of the place. One thing I told her was if we see an armored car parked outside the bank, box store, etc., we use the other entrance. If we happen to be there when the guys come out with bags in their hands, we go on high alert. She thought that was a bit much - until we started watching crime shows and saw some that where there was an attempted heist and bullets were flying everywhere.
All that being said, we were still a bit low key as we live in a somewhat rural area where "these things don't happen" (cough).
With the influx of all these Muslims, I feel like we will have move cafe, mall, public shootings, etc. as in Israel, and thus our SA meter now indicates high readings wherever we go.
Don’t want to hijack this thread, but maybe we should start one sometime where we can all share situational awareness tips.
My first thoughts will probably be "if I shoot this guy back, I'm probably going to jail for the rest of my life."
Yes, I know going to jail is better option than getting killed in a hail of bullets, but it's sad that either result will end badly for me.
I think that there are instincts that some are born with. All the training in the world can’t fix someone who has a flight instinct but they are probably the ones who will survive.
I had to shoot someone that was trying to kill myself and some friends. Though I have always been a focused person and always calm. I don’t believe you can train someone to be focused and calm.
My first year back to Chicago’s inner city from VietNam a teen gang killed 7 people on my block alone. I was not present during any of the killings. But I was present during beatings, trying to pull guys apart and calm things til the police arrived. I was present when guns were pulled to threaten and intimidate.
I tried to play cool and not be intimidated. I tried to talk reasonably to them. I knew I was protected and wouldn’t die. I probably stuttered and hesitated a lot and didn’t appear as cool as I wished.
I observed others who tried to reduce the violence in the area. I never figured out a correlation between their personalities, their agendas, and their behavior toward the violent gangs.
I had actually chosen to live on the corner that was the intersection of the turf of 4 street gangs. The other 3 gangs were into fist fights, bloody noses, but not killing.
For me, the biggest problem with violence, both gang and non-gang was that violent people are different when intoxicated. And I don’t know how to deal with drunks.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.