Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Do you think as a side-armed citizen, you could have thwarted the El Paso shooter?

Might add too that the bad guys almost always have the option to draw first blood. They can have gun (knife, club, bomb, etc.,?) already in hand, finger on trigger, whereas innocent legit concealed carry citizens can't and especially not in public facilities. Bystanders not initially put down literally only have maybe a few seconds tops to try to assess the situation, focus on their options, and decide if, how, and when to react.

I think the only thing worse than being in the situation where you had to use your sidearm in a crowded chaotic venue would be being there without your sidearm....

My first responsibility is to my family. I carry to protect them not the sheeple around me. I’m not Rambo.

If you see yourself differently that’s fine just make sure your levels of life insurance are appropriate. Keep an attorney on retainer as well.

2 basic responses to ultimate stress, fight or flight.

As others have noted it depends highly upon my situation at the time, me and granddaughter in the store alone, I’ve got to get her to safety somehow, in care of another adult I.e. but if grandma is with us, you two go that way fast as hell.

I’ve lived a very good full life, anything I get after this is just a bonus.

Past performance is no indicator of future results, but typically it’s the best we have to determine such.

I got involved in some hairy situations in my misspent youth, some gunplay etc. as an adult I’ve done the same to a degree through guiding mainly. We were so far away from anything you quickly realize you are 911 🤷🏻‍♂️ Going into the alder tangles looking for a wounded Bruin as the light is fading is not for the faint of heart.

Right off the bat, I’m no hero, have no illusions about such.

But I can’t rightly recall a situation where most smart folks would be headed the other way while I was headed towards the soup. 🤦🏼‍♂️

Every situation is different, every time is different. Who knows you might find me balled up in my own pizz pool in the above situation.

But I pray to my maker, if my family or other innocents are found in harms way that he give me the courage to act accordingly.

Doesn’t matter to me whether killed by the perp or LEO, no time to think about that stuff and dead Is dead anyway. If I never made a hit, I’d like to think I could buy some extra time for those seeking safety by engaging a mad man. Either causing him to look for cover or by engaging me, to give folks time to flee or LEO to arrive on scene.

I don’t know what I’d do, but I’d pray the good lord give me the courage, whether successful to neutralize the perp or just buy time, that my wife knew she spent the better part of her adult life sleeping by a man, a man with too many faults to list here, but a man nonetheless.

Cliche indeed, but dear lord give me the courage when I might make a difference.

Yep, this^^^

That shot was Heavenly sent.

I don't go to the Mall or everywhere my family does in public, maybe you do. My wife and family doesn't Conceal Carry, maybe yours does. If I'm not there, I would hope someone steps up and try to help and not everyone is running the other direction. I'll take care of the small stuff after everything else is over if everything comes out in my favor if the situation ever arises. Hope your family isn't the "sheeple"around everyone else if you're not there taking care of your "first responsibility". If you see yourself differently that’s fine just make sure your levels of life insurance are appropriate, and you have accepted the fate that no one else should intervene for someone's else family should you not be there with them.

He COULD have wiped out skid row in most any major city and drove home for lunch before the police got there.

But he didn't.

Didn't two Texas cops armed with handguns, stop a pair of wannabe Jihadists w/rifles, at some art festival a few years ago?