Hopefully I would try. An anecdote from long ago...

I was in a 7-11 back in Ft. Lauderdale when I heard someone come in and announce "this is a robbery!". I was the only customer in the store at the time and back by the cooler getting a soft drink so he didn't see me. The primitive survival part of your mind does weird things as you picture a dozen scenarios in short order, one of which was the clerk and I being herded into a back cooler and shot. As it was, I grabbed the biggest, heaviest can of food within reach, my plan was to circle my way behind the aisle to try to come up directly behind the guy. Figured I could throw it and rush him or just cold cock him from behind if close enough. Maybe rash and even stupid on afterthought but your first thought is to do something, anything. Particularly when I was trapped and couldn't get out except by going right by the guy.

This all took about three seconds when the "perp", some young male in his late teens I guess, said "no! it's a joke, I'm just kidding". Apparently he thought it would be real funny to do that. I didn't see the clerk's reaction to the initial anouncement, it was a middle aged black guy I knew on a head nodding recognition basis, but he cussed this guy up and down and told him to get the hell out of his store. This was back in the late 70's before most people carried. I put the can of food back on the shelf and got my drink.

So to the original question, it all depends on the scenario. You don't know what you'll really do when confronted with an actual (or realistically perceived) life and death situation until it happens.



As a somewhat sad epilogue, that same clerk was shot in the face and killed a year or so later by a robber.

Gunnery, gunnery, gunnery.
Hit the target, all else is twaddle!