Seattle Mall Shooting

[Texan2]

Anyone see the news about the Seattle Mall shooting yesterday?

When you talk to your friends about it remind them that all it would take on any of these mall shootings is to have a CHL holder present, and much of the carnage could be stopped...innocent lives could be saved.

 

[djspump2003]

Anyone see the news about the Seattle Mall shooting yesterday?

When you talk to your friends about it remind them that all it would take on any of these mall shootings is to have a CHL holder present, and much of the carnage could be stopped...innocent lives could be saved.

You are, of course, right about that.

The article I read made it sound like a targeted shooting and not a killing spree.

I am interested in how a police officer would recommend a CHL holder handle that scenario.

I have had a decent amount of military training, am a CHL holder, and practice at the range 2 times per week. I consider myself very much able to have taken down any of the punks that have committed the recent atrocities whether at a school or shopping mall. Granted, I would have had to be there AND have had my sidearm that I train with. However - if I was at a shopping mall with my family and I heard shots fired - even though my first instinct is to run towards the gunfire with weapon drawn, I have to get my family to safety first. That is where I am torn. I wouldn't want to lock my wife and daughter in a closet to then go deal with the bad guy(s) only to return to find them dead - having not known there was more than one perp but in a different area. I wouldn't consider my family safe until they were off the premises of the mall and driving home. But if you take the time to escort the family to the car the statistics from the Virginia Tech shootings state that in about 10 minutes he killed 30 people and shot about 40 total. Where do you draw the line?

 

[Texan2]

Hard to say as each situation is different. I know my family would come first. The mall shooting they had a couple years ago in Utah...a cop was having lunch with his wife and sent her out and went and smoked the perp.

In many cases while taking them to "safety" you might be ambushed, so there is no "right answer". My wife carries, and I would probably want her to get in a good defensive spot where she would have the drop on anyone that came near her. I could then focus on taking care of the immediate threat.

So many variables....hard to give one answer, but the quote in my signature line almost always holds true.

 

[Texan2]

one more thing....
when the shooting is going on....no way to know what the motive is. so i dont care whether he is after his ex wife or just anyone he sees, either way i will drop him at the first opportunity and not give him the chance to explain.

 

[Hoji]

You are, of course, right about that.

The article I read made it sound like a targeted shooting and not a killing spree.

I am interested in how a police officer would recommend a CHL holder handle that scenario.

I have had a decent amount of military training, am a CHL holder, and practice at the range 2 times per week. I consider myself very much able to have taken down any of the punks that have committed the recent atrocities whether at a school or shopping mall. Granted, I would have had to be there AND have had my sidearm that I train with. However - if I was at a shopping mall with my family and I heard shots fired - even though my first instinct is to run towards the gunfire with weapon drawn, I have to get my family to safety first. That is where I am torn. I wouldn't want to lock my wife and daughter in a closet to then go deal with the bad guy(s) only to return to find them dead - having not known there was more than one perp but in a different area. I wouldn't consider my family safe until they were off the premises of the mall and driving home. But if you take the time to escort the family to the car the statistics from the Virginia Tech shootings state that in about 10 minutes he killed 30 people and shot about 40 total. Where do you draw the line?

The "right " answer is get you and your family to safety. Period.

No matter how well trained you are , "running to the sound of shots with gun in hand" you will only get yourself shot by a security guard who does not know you from Adam, and sees you as a shooter.Or another CHL holder who is in the area and only sees you as another shooter shoots you.

If you are not in immediate danger, do not run to it. A CHL is for self defense, not public defense.

 

[Texan2]

The "right " answer is get you and your family to safety. Period.

No matter how well trained you are , "running to the sound of shots with gun in hand" you will only get yourself shot by a security guard who does not know you from Adam, and sees you as a shooter.Or another CHL holder who is in the area and only sees you as another shooter shoots you.

If you are not in immediate danger, do not run to it. A CHL is for self defense, not public defense.

I was referring, I suppose, to what I would do. Every "post Columbine" Police Academy in the U.S. teaches officers to "run to the sounds of gunfire". Every shot you hear is another dead victim. I'm not implying that is what every CHL holder should do, but was trying to explain what I might do....
I dont agree that it is always a "run for your life" scenario. In the Luby's masacre in Kileen a CHL holder could have saved lots of lives. There are others cases that this holds true in...
While your answer may fit certain scenarios...There are no absolute answers, like "get to safety...period"