How to react to an attack in a crowded mall?

[revjen45]

I was born in 1947, but back to the subject at hand which is how does a CHL holder react to some moron going postal at a mall. It seems like the most discrete course of action would be to run to the nearest store and beat feet out of the delivery door in the rear. I took FAS-3, and after spending the whole weekend learning tactics and technique the final lesson was that the best way to win a gunfight is to avoid it. Unless the shooter is right on top of you get out of Dodge and let the SWAT team deal with him. Other CHL holders and the police don't know you from the BG. The police have blanket immunity from criminal and civil consequences, armed peons don't. In the chaos of a mass shooting in a crowded area a lot can go wrong, and I have no intention of being the scapegoat. I go armed to defend my own life and those of the people I love. I feel no obligation to exercise lethal force on behalf of unarmed strangers who depend on the police for their security.

[John R. Fuller]

Since we are on the topic of age, i recently turned the big Forty years old.

I think that we should be certain of what we will do in the scenario I outlined six months ago in this post.

[bburgi]

To protect a third party or not (whether in a crowded mall setting, a convenient store, or out on the streets) is a decision I believe you have to make now- before anything happens.

I think first priority should be to protect my family and my own life- as stated before I am no good to anyone dead. However, I personally have made the decision that I will attempt to protect any innocent people if at all possible. I have no romantic notions of being a hero, a maverick or a wanna-be SWAT guy... I simply know that I could not allow another person to be killed if I knew I had the power and opportunity to protect them.

With that said, in a mall setting my mind is set to do the following
#1 find cover and get ready to defend myself from a direct assault (ie: stay alive)
#2 assess the situation to see if I have any opportunity to take out the BG
#3 act accordingly (ie: if I cannot resonably shoot the BG, I find my exit- if I can take him/her out I take my shot)

If my family or friends are with me, my priorities change. In that case, their lives are my only concern. My actions are to:
#1 find cover if in the direct line of fire and get ready to defend my loved ones
#2 get the heck out of dodge with my loved ones as soon as possible.

I realize there is an inherent risk involved when engaging any BG, and I would never take that risk joyfully or unnecessarily. To face that risk in defence of a third party is a personal decision every CHL holder needs to think about at some point.

[KBCraig]

I have no romantic notions of being a hero, a maverick or a wanna-be SWAT guy... I simply know that I could not allow another person to be killed if I knew I had the power and opportunity to protect them.

With that said, in a mall setting my mind is set to do the following
#1 find cover and get ready to defend myself from a direct assault (ie: stay alive)
#2 assess the situation to see if I have any opportunity to take out the BG
#3 act accordingly (ie: if I cannot resonably shoot the BG, I find my exit- if I can take him/her out I take my shot)

If my family or friends are with me, my priorities change. In that case, their lives are my only concern. My actions are to:
#1 find cover if in the direct line of fire and get ready to defend my loved ones
#2 get the heck out of dodge with my loved ones as soon as possible.

Your priorities match my own: Protect mine, protect me, protect others.

Excellent post!

Kevin

[jbirds1210]

I really do not remember this thread! There is a lot to learn from it. Thank you for bringing it back to life. I agree with many here that I do not plan on being a hero....self protection is my ultimate goal. A gunman would just about have to run around the corner I was hiding behind!

IF I was put in the situation where using my weapon was appropriate, the first thing that came to mind in that setting is changing the angle of my shot...I would think an upward shot from my knees might serve to minimize the damage my bullet could do if it is through and through. Just some thoughts. I can't take credit for this idea....a friend from this forum planted the very scenario in my head while training a couple of months ago
Jason

[txinvestigator]

I really do not remember this thread! There is a lot to learn from it. Thank you for bringing it back to life. I agree with many here that I do not plan on being a hero....self protection is my ultimate goal. A gunman would just about have to run around the corner I was hiding behind!

IF I was put in the situation where using my weapon was appropriate, the first thing that came to mind in that setting is changing the angle of my shot...I would think an upward shot from my knees might serve to minimize the damage my bullet could do if it is through and through. Just some thoughts. I can't take credit for this idea....a friend from this forum planted the very scenario in my head while training a couple of months ago
Jason

I am a strong believer in taking a knee. It gives a more stable shooting platform, reduces the exposure to incoming fire by 50% and provides a better exit trajectory.

However, malls are often multi-story.

[longtooth]

+1 here too. When my knees got so bad that ANY quick lateral movement to the left would put me on the ground I started training to, IF AT ALL POSSIBLE, make a low profile target, trust my training, & at the same time count on the natural miss pattern of high stress BGs poor marksmanship to be a natural high miss.

[Skipper5]

I have no romantic notions of being a hero, a maverick or a wanna-be SWAT guy... I simply know that I could not allow another person to be killed if I knew I had the power and opportunity to protect them.

With that said, in a mall setting my mind is set to do the following
#1 find cover and get ready to defend myself from a direct assault (ie: stay alive)
#2 assess the situation to see if I have any opportunity to take out the BG
#3 act accordingly (ie: if I cannot resonably shoot the BG, I find my exit- if I can take him/her out I take my shot)

If my family or friends are with me, my priorities change. In that case, their lives are my only concern. My actions are to:
#1 find cover if in the direct line of fire and get ready to defend my loved ones
#2 get the heck out of dodge with my loved ones as soon as possible.

Your priorities match my own: Protect mine, protect me, protect others.

Excellent post!

Kevin

++1

[Will938]

So I guess maybe as an Aggie, and as I break it down the response would be:

1 - run if you can

2 - fight if you have to

Wow you sound just like coach Fran

There seems to be a large BCS crowd here, we should all go to Champions or better yet Arrowhead.

[stevie_d_64]

Soft target senarios and situations seem to be coming to the fore-front again these days...

Kinda stinks with the holidays creaping up on us...