[Hugh the Scot]

I hear you. Does that also insulate the several tens of others who chose not to defend their lives from criticism? I don’t have an opinion on what would have worked, as I wasn’t there, but it is clear what didn’t.

[Blue Jays]

My sense is Orlando victims are getting a bum rap (not from you specifically, just in general) from many discussion forums.
Many people are largely living in Condition White with very little situational awareness. We all likely have family members who conduct their lives in that same Condition White mode, too.

What reasonable person would expect to be in a large nightclub that had only a SINGLE doorway? Investigators determined the other doorways were padlocked during the shooting.
Many of the victims likely never even saw the shooter before they woke up dead that fateful night. Just lots of deafening gunfire plus their first instinct probably to run for the *EXIT* signs...and then those innocents encounter locked doors? What a complete nightmare.

My inclination is to cut them a break regarding their relative lack of strategic / tactical decision-making skills, especially given the challenging conditions. Not all of us are adept at Condition Yellow living daily. Just my $0.02 adjusted for inflation and YMMV.