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I had a lengthy post on the 9/11 comparison but Charles beat me to it (far more succinctly I might add!). The LE training for how to deal with an active shooter has changed since Columbine, VT and others. It does say to actively and immediately engage the threat. Civilians fortunate enough to receive training in these situations are now told to try and hide, escape if possible, but to strike out using any means at hand if cornered by a gunman due to the imminent risk of injury or death. As the details unfold we will learn more about the police response/ timing question. There will be lessons learned from this senseless mass killing in Aurora, CO to add to our tactical tool boxes. The real tragedy will be if we do not take the time to learn them.

Scenario training is good, even if only mental. We can all try and imagine what we will do in this situation or that. The reality is that you only know what you will truly do when the situation is upon you, when you find yourself on the X. In that time, as your OODA loop is spinning up, some critical things will matter when you get to that second O and the D- What is your training? What is conventional wisdom (see Charles' post re: consultants advice)? What is your position relative to the bad guy? How about the nearest exit? Do you have family members with you? Can you get a clear shot, or do you have the tactical advantage to try some sort of a take down? Only the individual situation will dictate what action to take and the perspective will be different for every person involved.

I have been involved in a deadly force encounter. I acted pretty much as I thought I would have. I have been on the X personally, and the only thing I know for sure is that the only way to know what I will do next time is to find myself there again. I hope and pray that day never comes, for me and for all of you, but I do not fear it. Just a little perspective on the "what if".

This is a tragedy, through and through. I don't think that any one of us really knows what we would really do in a situation like that. I do want to point out that body armor is not a magic shield, however. Do some research on police involved shootings and see what the good guys that got shot while wearing a vest say about how it felt. For the most part it still hurts, it may not penetrate but is often likened to being stricken with a baseball bat. I wouldn't count out your ability to effectively return fire just because the bad guy was wearing body armor, the effects on target just may be less than what you intended. Whether or not one chooses to shoot is a different matter.

I also think this incident highlights one critical piece of EDC that many (if not most) of us overlook. How current is your knowledge of First Aid/ CPR? Could you effectively manage GSW trauma until medical services made the scene? Watching that cell phone footage on YouTube kind of made me angry. Here you have people milling about the front of the theater (herd mentality) thinking they were now safe, which they most certainly were not given the fact the gunman was apprehended in the parking lot. You have this fool steadily filming while bloodied people limp by and the best they can do is say "Oh look, he got shot". For the most part the rest of the crowd just stares as well. Maybe there were people trying to help the wounded somewhere off camera, I don't know. I know there are many who would be reluctant to provide medical attention to a total stranger, but what if it was a family member of friend who took a bullet? We spend hours upon hours deciding what firearm to carry in which holster using what particular type of ammo and then spend even more hours at the range honing our skills. When was the last time you took half a day to update your skills in First Aid? It seems as though legal concealed carry was prohibited at this cinema, but your knowledge always carries with you. For those that are more interested in the topic, there are some really good "blow out kits" that can be added to your EDC. These kits, also known as Individual First Aid Kits (IFAK) are credited with police saving many lives in the Tuscon shooting because of the quick ability to manage massive bleeding. One of the best I have seen is the EDC Trauma Kit offered through ITS Tactical http://www.itstactical.com/store/its-edc-trauma-kit/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. It is specifically designed to be carried in the back pocket of a pair of pants. ITS is also a great site for tactical and survival topics and is ran by guys out of the DFW area, so check them out. Just as one cannot reasonably expect LE to protect us at all times, we should not reasonably assume EMS will be able to treat us in all situations, especially in a mass casualty setting like this. Just food for thought.