God damn, gettin to point where ya can't even go shopping and have a fighting chance without yer roscoe. Pretty fucked up.

 

That sucks, damn crazies.

 

Hypothetically, if you had a CCW permit, and had been in that mall, what would you have done?



I do not have a CCW permit and it would be tough for me to say, most likely I would release my bowels into my pants and hide.





Years ago a loony did a shoot em up in Palm Bay Florida, some redneck happened to be in the parking lot with a 30-06 in the gun rack in his pickup. He calmly pulled the gun out of the rack, loaded it, and was taking aim on the shooter with his scope, the police spotted him and tackled him before he could get a shot off.



The police BTW- 6 of them were killed emptying their 6 shooters and missing, then the shooter walked up and shot them dead while they were reloading. That one shooter changed department policy to carry newer guns with 15 bullet clips from then on.



I think 14 people were killed that day.

 

Hard to say, that's not a situation where you can always accurately predict your actions. Just like the stats on the vietnam war, something like 20% of the front line soldiers never fired their weapon. Instictively we're brought up in a society that teaches us it's never right to take another life. On the flip side I am pretty sure that when presented with the option of my life or the guy's shooting at me the answer would be clear and the action instinctive. I guess I should also add, that anyone carrying a gun is carrying it with the intention that if they have to defend themselves they will, I am no exception to that rule, however as i said before it's impossible to predict your actions under strain.



It's a double edged sword. you shoot the guy, you gotta deal with that, you hide in the corner shitting yourself, when you had the opportunity to drop the guy and 15 people die, you also have to find a way to deal with that. This is in fact one reason I stopped working on airplanes. Many cases in downed jets where the mechanic took it so hard he off'd himself. Knowing something I did could have had such a negative effect on so many people was an extreme weight.



There are times in some people's lives when one decision, while only a few seconds of time pass can have an effect on them for the remainder of their bumping around this planet. It would be a pretty tough deal to watch yer family get mowed down by some dipshit and you're only defense is to crouch behind a starbucks sign and pray for the best......

 

I think realistically, at that moment I'd be thinking about self-preservation, or saving my immediate family if they were with me. I'd be finding something to hind behind, and staying down.



If I had already done that, and the crazy was still carrying on, and I had a moment to think, AND had a weapon, then sure. I'd probably consider taking action. That's a lot of if's, though.

 

If I had the ***** to take a shot at the guy I would have no problem dealing with the fact that I killed a killer after the fact. (I am thinking along the lines of "The Code" on Dexter if you watch it on showtime)



I guess you never really know how you would react to a situation like that until your in it. A lot of things would have to work in your favor as a CCW to be able to even get a shot off on the guy.





Look at that cat in Texas, he ran out into harms way to make sure his neighbor did not get robbed, now he has a legal shitstorm heading his way.

 

Freakin troubled american youth. PATHETIC. Sad for the victims...

 

If there were ever a state that would have little legal trouble after such an incident it would be florida, the castle laws here in florida are the loosest in the US and they've been upheld time and time again, reality is in florida, if your family is the slightest bit threatened you have every right under the law to shoot him, just make sure they haul him away in a bag and not on a stretcher, no matter what state you are in.



Like I said, i could swear up and down i'd shoot the ****** and I'd like think that given the circumstances i could spare some lives, but is absolutely impossible for me to say without a doubt without being presented with the situation. I'd like to think it would be instinctive, you do a lot of things out instinct you don't even realize a nasty gulf stream crossing will show you that real quick

 

nEVER BEEN ACROSS THE GULF STREAM (guess what I am working with right now) in anything smaller than a cruise ship.





I have heard many stories from friends though and I hear if its kicked up your in for a wild ride, and your doing it depending on fabric to make the crossing, your a braver man than I am I'll tell you that much.

 

I get a liittle upset with the news coverage when they focus on intensifying mall security, arming mall guards or how he got the gun. Its like trying to put a bigger band-aid on a massive cut. I think they should be focusing on how this guy grew up and how his family life or lack there of made him into a real piece of work. Who knows what kind of trauma this kid endured, probably physical and sexual abuse. I had heard that he was awarded to the state for awhile. In my opinion the big problem is this kid growing up in a shithole environment with no structure.