Remember too that folks will not be cozying up to an active shooter. They'll be moving rapidly away in all directions.mr.72 wrote:Church is one of the few places I go frequently where I am allowed to carry. I figure in my church congregation, during any one service of adults we probably have 10-20 people carrying, about half of which I know about for a fact.
Since I got my CHL I have been carrying at church every week. However I am in a rather large church and I sure as heck hope that nobody ever has to fire a gun in defense of self or others during a church service because the probability that bystanders are going to get hit is nearly 100%.
The "crazed gunman" scenario that has played out in other churches around the country is probably as likely at my church as it would be at any other church in America. If someone walks in shooting, I am pretty sure that they will quickly get shot, and I would bet the investigation afterward would end up with the police taking a dozen different guns in for ballistic testing and they wouldn't even know who all shot the BG until after pulling slugs from the body and checking them against confiscated gun calibers. However there are no clean shots to be had in a room with 1500-2000 people in it.
There can be clean shots available, but you'd have to look for them. Kneeling and firing high on the target at an upward angle may take any overpenetration over the heads of bystanders. Likewise, a shot might be taken from a raised seating area on a downward angle selected to miss bystanders. Other viable opportunities might be presented as he moves in front of objects that stop bullets, e.g., mid height masonry walls.
The issues are certainly more complex than what you'll find on the range, but they can be dealt with successfully by a knowledgeable CHL holder. Jean Assam, who used her prior law enforcement experience to good effect, proved that decisively in Colorado.