Posted on 09/15/2025 3:47:55 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
Securing an outdoor event like the one where Kirk was assassinated is among the most difficult challenges in the field.
Much has been made of the fact that only six uniformed officers and a few plainclothes officers were at the Utah Valley University event the day Charlie Kirk was fatally shot while speaking to a crowd on campus.
But in truth, doubling or even tripling that number would not have made a difference. Ticket checks and metal detectors can screen attendees in the immediate area, but they cannot defend against a sniper on a rooftop 175 yards away. Preventing that type of attack requires a countersniper team with specialized training and substantial resources. And even then, success is not guaranteed. The July 13, 2024, assassination attempt on Donald Trump demonstrated this reality: Despite the full capabilities of the Secret Service, the shooter still came within inches of a fatal shot.
Ticket checks and metal detectors can screen attendees in the immediate area, but they cannot defend against a sniper on a rooftop 175 yards away.
With more than 35 years as an FBI agent, a U.S. Marine, and now a security consultant, I can affirm that securing an outdoor event like the one where Kirk was killed is among the most difficult challenges in the field. A speaker positioned in low ground, surrounded by a large crowd and overlooked by two- to four-story buildings, creates vulnerabilities that no local police force can realistically control.
If Kirk had been my client, I would have wanted exactly that level of specialized team. But the cost is often far beyond what any private citizen or even many companies can afford. A more practical measure might have been a three-sided transparent ballistic panel capable of stopping a high-velocity rifle...
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.com ...
I have no doubt about that. The solution would seem to be no more outdoor events for any conservative person or group.
Ticket checks and metal detectors can screen attendees in the immediate area, but they cannot defend against a sniper on a rooftop 175 yards away.
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Stop this b.s.! That’s why you pay for rooftop security, else you rally indoors!
Drones everywhere but where they would do good.
The author is right a three sided “Pope” shield would have stopped a regular 30-06 round. The black tip AP version would have made it through. Those can be found as WWII surplus still and are specifically exempt from the regs.
Then again drones will be the next threat they already are none have been used here but in Ukraine they are taking out individuals all the time with kamikaze drones. I posted the link to a scientist that in a few hours.turned a regular camera drone into a human seeking missile and not just any human a single human using face recognition on the move in a crowd of other humans.
Even a small drone can carry tens of grams of payload with nitrogen based compounds I won’t name them 10 grams will turn a human into two halves or mush depending on which compound. Those shields would be useless against such a drone in fact the shields themselves would become lethal shrapnel for everyone behind them.
Anti drone drones are needed plus radar early warning of incoming 200+ mph drones if you don’t need to hover a rearward prop drone can hit 450+ mph over short distances like a few kilometers human eyes struggle to see small objects moving at such speeds unless coming right at them then it’s too late.
Bullshit. Only spotters with comms to the stage are needed. When they see something, they push TALK and say “get off the X!”
Indoor events are costlier. The bullet-proof shield around the podium, plus at least one counter-sniper, may be the eventual compromise. Given the issues surrounding liability insurance for a freelance counter-sniper, I’d expect event organizers to pay for a local PD SWAT team member to do overwatch. Over time, I’d expect all local PDs to have a part- or full-time drone operator to assist in SWAT operations. A person in this role would be a valuable addition to VIP protection efforts at big events.
A pretty decent article from MSNBC believe or not. But I would offer that not all outdoor events are the same. It all comes down to the perimeter that you can safely secure the checkpoint or checkpoints and how effective they are and what is observable from the place where the potential target would be standing or sitting.
Like if you take Butler Pennsylvania, and the fact that a friggin meathead with a carbine could get 150 yards from President Trump and take Multiple shots is absolutely insane. The geography of that area had really only a couple key spots that needed to be secured safely And the fact that they were not secured lead me to believe that even to this day there were some inside job part to it. It was just too negligent for even the worst Secret Service security.
But in Charlie Kirk’s case, that place really was a death trap if someone wanted to take a shot at you. Multiple rooftops multiple floors and buildings with windows, multiple unsecured, access points, etc. etc. The only thing that security really could theoretically prevent was potentially a Ronald Reagan style attempted assassination of the guy walking up and trying to take some shots, because someone standing back 200 yards as we learned, with minimal training can take them out nine times out of 10 if they wanted to
Drones are way more specialized. And explosives are even more specialized. A scoped rifle is literally point and shoot.
In a civil society you don’t have to worry about getting murdered for open debate.
Step 1...,clear the fricken roofs. Why aren’t the gumshoes doing this?
In a civil society you don’t have to worry about getting murdered for open debate.
+++++++
Sadly, that society no longer exists. We need to face that fact. You also need to watch out for your own well being because if you don’t, no one else will.
And a spotter with comms on each rooftop with a potential for taking a shot. There couldn’t have been more than five at UVU. While there they can scan the crowd and surrounding area with binoculars. But their main duty would be to be the only person on their assigned roof.
In Butler, PA there were only two such perches. The one the countersniper team was on and the one Crooks was on.
Don’t interrupt them. They are all talking about how to move into the zoo enclosure.
Only demented killers will be free. I suppose we have to give The Star Spangled Banner a new ending...
I think that you must do a threat assessment before each appearance. In this instance Kirk was appearing in what could easily be called “home turf” given the docile reputation of the University. It’s not like he was appearing at UC Berkeley or Portland State. And historically, most of the disturbances he’d confronted before were push and shove demonstrations. This instance was an escalation that few saw coming. Yes, a barrier of bullet resistant glass would have been appropriate if the perceived threat had been that severe but it wasn’t. It also would have interfered with the dialog and created an “armed camp” atmosphere creating more mistrust among the participants and lessening chances of understanding. Best case would be indoor venues but then participation is again curtailed.
Ukrainian armed camera drones with grenades, mortar shells, machine guns and shot guns
No problema...
The blue water tower and the old barn roof near the Dollar General were also viable perches at the Butler Farm Show venue.
You either change hearts and minds or you have security.
Ask the Marines.
I thought of the blue water tower but I don’t consider it a good perch at all.
I guess I didn’t see the old barn. Don’t remember it.
Sign of the times.
Taylor Swift Shielded By Bulletproof Barrier At Chiefs Game (TMZ)
Absolutely, this whole thing could have been avoided by stationing a $1500 drone above the venue looking at rooftops. The stage could have been cleared as soon as the assassin was spotted and in position.
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