What the Colorado shooting says to me.

[mugsy]

6'3" kid? Dressed like a full blown SWAT member? Probably holding weapons in both hands and firing.

I think the Avengers were busy with something else.

A lot of the people he shot were shot in the back as they tried to flee to safety. I don't blame untrained civilians for reacting in the most normal way for people to react but a concerted counterattack would probably have overwhelmed him. The problem is that there was no time to organize one and if you aren't already trained and thinking that way, you aren't likely to discover it in the first minute or so of an attack. A person with a pistol firing could also have drawn his attention (and fire) while others acted but it is all moot at this point.

 

[IndVet]

To be frank, the numerous comments from guys here "i'd be in the fetal position craping myself" really surprise me here. If you people do not want to defend yourself or seriously believe that you would freeze in panic or otherwise be unwilling or able in a real life situation such as this, then please dont carry a gun anymore. Yours is just another gun for the bad guys to take away and use against others.

Besides the fact that you don't really know what you'd do in that situation, you SOOOO need to shut the hell up.

 

[scooby13dew]

Besides the fact that you don't really know what you'd do in that situation, you SOOOO need to shut the hell up.

I agree you never know how u will act in a situation like that until your in one even a highly trained officer could freeze up and panic

 

[GroupGuy]

10Seconds, I doubt you offended many but simply served to show what an ass-hat you are. No offense.

 

[bulbboy]

Geez, some of your Monday morning QB'ing is full of douche. Nobody knows what they would do, armed or unarmed, in the same situation. It was a dark auditorium, full of chaos, in a death tunnel scenario, while under gunfire and tear gas attack, etc. Has anyone ever tried to exit a theatre row when it is completely sold out? You're not getting anywhere quick. Add in the chaos factor with everyone trying to save their own skin. Good luck with trying to do ANYTHING effective unless you're in the first row of the theatre. Some of you would probably be faced down and pissing yourself. To automatically "know" that you would have jumped up and been Billy Badass, is both ignorance and interweb gun forum commando talk. We lost 12 innocents in this tragedy (along with dozens injured), with several of them being our nation's warriors. Show some respect and wait for all the facts to come out before shooting off your mouth about how badass you would have been, and how cowardly these victims were.

This


**rolling my eyes and shaking my head at the OP**

 

[HackerF15E]

To be frank, the numerous comments from guys here "i'd be in the fetal position craping myself" really surprise me here. If you people do not want to defend yourself or seriously believe that you would freeze in panic or otherwise be unwilling or able in a real life situation such as this, then please dont carry a gun anymore. Yours is just another gun for the bad guys to take away and use against others.

Have you ever been shot at?

I can tell you from personal experience that it is (can be) incredibly terrifying. How a person reacts to that terror can only be known at that moment. I personally have known several folks whom I expected to be Rambo when the iron started flying, yet they turned out to be quite the opposite. I think I sort of even expected myself to be Mr Badass when the shooting started, but I had a couple moments of deer-in-the-headlights-sheer-terror instead. Eventually (probably just a few seconds, really, but it seemed like a long time) I choked down that fear and kept doing what I'd been trained to do -- which is what the vast majority of my brothers in arms did, too. What it wasn't, though, was some split-second streak of bravery where I leapt into action with music playing and flags waving.

I have no idea how I'd react in the theater shooting scenario. Even knowing all that I do now, I find it tough to actually visualize a realistic series of events that would have allowed me to try and either shoot at, or tackle, the Aurora shooter. Too much confusion, aurally, visually, etc. Total chaos, with lots of difficulty identifying the threat, and with all those people scurrying around it would be a huge number of barriers to executing some kind of counterattack plan -- even if I'd had the clarity of mind to come up with one. Unless I was blessed with the fortune of being physically close to the shooter, and without a crapload of panicky people moving every which way around...that might be a different set of circumstances from which to act.

None the less, such monday-morning-QB'ing, and the putting down of people who don't talk a heroic game on the internet, is completely idiotic. Nobody knows how they're going to react when the threat is for real. No amount of training or practice can ever prepare you for that moment, and unless you were actually there, opining on how you think it would have gone down if you were actually there is ignorant and useless.

 

[cjjtulsa]

Human nature is not to run towards danger, but from it. It's animal instinct, and how our species has survived as long as it has. That's the reason for my "fetal and shat" comments. I'm a realist.

It's also situational; being in a Wal-Mart that's being robbed by some clown with a 9mm handgun is a whole different matter than being in a small movie theater, packed with a sell-out crowd, with smoke/CS gas/whatever, and a guy drum-mag-dumping an AR into folks. I may be wrong, but I think it's a sure bet that even the average CCW holder would be fetal, on the floor with a loaded high-dollar CCW rig still in his waistband and a pair of skivvies packing a stool sample. I'd put money on it. And even the Wal-Mart scenario is up in the air as to how a person would respond, until they actually are put in that position.

Self-preservation is a pretty strong instinct.

 

[redmax51]

Have you ever been shot at?

I can tell you from personal experience that it is (can be) incredibly terrifying. How a person reacts to that terror can only be known at that moment. I personally have known several folks whom I expected to be Rambo when the iron started flying, yet they turned out to be quite the opposite. I think I sort of even expected myself to be Mr Badass when the shooting started, but I had a couple moments of deer-in-the-headlights-sheer-terror instead. Eventually (probably just a few seconds, really, but it seemed like a long time) I choked down that fear and kept doing what I'd been trained to do -- which is what the vast majority of my brothers in arms did, too. What it wasn't, though, was some split-second streak of bravery where I leapt into action with music playing and flags waving.

I have no idea how I'd react in the theater shooting scenario. Even knowing all that I do now, I find it tough to actually visualize a realistic series of events that would have allowed me to try and either shoot at, or tackle, the Aurora shooter. Too much confusion, aurally, visually, etc. Total chaos, with lots of difficulty identifying the threat, and with all those people scurrying around it would be a huge number of barriers to executing some kind of counterattack plan -- even if I'd had the clarity of mind to come up with one. Unless I was blessed with the fortune of being physically close to the shooter, and without a crapload of panicky people moving every which way around...that might be a different set of circumstances from which to act.

None the less, such monday-morning-QB'ing, and the putting down of people who don't talk a heroic game on the internet, is completely idiotic. Nobody knows how they're going to react when the threat is for real. No amount of training or practice can ever prepare you for that moment, and unless you were actually there, opining on how you think it would have gone down if you were actually there is ignorant and useless.

Another excellent post. Well said HackerF15E.

 

[mapcon1941]

My brother-in-law was in Vietnam late '67-'68. He was in Marine force recon and went to jungle warfare school in Panama for SEALs and recon. Only 3 of his team made it back, and he said hanging close to a guy on his second tour is what kept him alive. Had probably the best training one could have going there. He once told me the hardest thing he ever did was kill people, and had many flashbacks for years to come. He quit carving notches in the butt of his M-14 because it never got any easier to do. Let's hope and pray that none of us ever have to face this situation.

 

[FlyGuyGSP]

My point with the post was not to insult the victims of a terrible trajedy. My point is that a motivated person could have made a difference. Like twoguns said so well:




The first story, a dad leaving his family behind to save himself? Sorry if I offend people here but that man is definitely a coward.

The second person could easily be considered a hero, putting someone else ahead of yourself is always honorable.

To be frank, the numerous comments from guys here "i'd be in the fetal position craping myself" really surprise me here. If you people do not want to defend yourself or seriously believe that you would freeze in panic or otherwise be unwilling or able in a real life situation such as this, then please dont carry a gun anymore. Yours is just another gun for the bad guys to take away and use against others.

The point is think, prepare, and be willing and able to act when the time is upon you.

Both times you've posted, I've daydreamed of you blindly firing while going Johnny Rambo and killing more innocent civilians.