Couldn't really think of the appropriate place since this deals with mindset, tactics, gear and other things. Still early and God knows what the truth is of the situation.

1) This is the most basic. First rule of a gunfight is to have a gun. Sheeple say a CCW couldn't of stopped it. How do they know? Obviously no CCW didn't work and that is a FACT. The shooter killed people till he got bored and went outside to wait for the cops.

1% chance > than 0% chance.

2) Second rule is to have friends that have guns. If one person with a gun wouldn't of changed events what about 5 CCW? What about 50 armed people?

I don't date girls that are anti-gun. Not only can they not defend themselves they cannot defend me. If married standardize on a common gun or at least one that uses the same mags and ammo (G17 and G26 for example).

3) Mindset, tactics and skill. After every event people say "it happened so fast" or "I couldn't believe what I was seeing". In the OODA Loop they got hung up on observe. When training with people I hold up an object and tell them "this is a knife". I then walk over to them slowly raise the object and start stabbing at them. I then ask why they didn't do anything to stop me. I back up and hold up the same object and tell them "this is a knife" and walk over and try and stab them. Everytime a person may stand and be stabbed the first time but the second they either fight back, move or even one time threw a chair at me. What changed? Initially they were stuck on observe in the OODA Loop. The second time they moved through the entire thing. The recognized the situation the second time and the consequences of not acting. Training should be the same. Standing square with a piece of paper and putting one round into the bulls-eye teaches you nothing. Turning around, having to decide between several shoot/no-shoot targets, drawing from concealed, "getting off the X" will.

My one friend when we practice this will stand starring at the target with his hand on his pistol and retention undone. If I introduce a little stress and make him draw from concealed at unknown times he will fumble the gun or forget safety. Train how you will fight.

In martial arts you would have sparing to bridge the gap between solo/partner training and a real fight. You also need to incorporate this into your firearms training with airsoft or something similar.

When you go into a place make sure you know your exits. Most people will run to the door they entered. Think back to the nightclub fire with Great White.

Observe people. Look at them and what is in their hands. Have a plan to kill everyone you meet.

Don't walk and text.

Another part of this is the argument that there "would not be a clear shot" so a CCW wouldn't of worked. My thoughts have frightened many of the timid but who cares? Shoot and maybe hit innocent people. If he shot 5 people and you drew and hit 3 innocent before stopping him you would of saved 50 people. This is not a single guy holding a baseball bat robbing a 7/11 for $20. This closer resembles a battlefield. You have a committed combatant who cannot be reasoned with who is going to kill till he is stopped. If you believe the government's version of Flight 93 then that is the same thing. They resisted killing the terrorists and themselves but they saved maybe a thousand people. How will the courts and media treat you? The same way they would no matter what you did. They are the enemy and the enemies mouthpiece you will never get the truth from them. If Hitler was in that theater shooting people and you shot him the first thing the police will say is "show me your permit". Getting to court only applies if you are alive to make it there.

4) Have a light for your weapon. I can't stand all the fighting "expert" sheep bleating how it is impossible to shoot someone in the dark so a CCW wouldn't of done any good. Well I guess you could aim and shoot towards the loud bang and muzzle flash but science has developed these items called flashlights which illuminate dark areas. I keep the same type of light mounted on every pistol I own. The argument against a weapon mounted light is rather silly, "If you need a flashlight you have to point a gun at everything." I assume they never realized you can buy a second light to carry in your pocket. The confusion of the Colorado shooting I think shows a dedicated weapon light is king. There is no fumbling to get two items up and running. If the pistol is out so is the light. Either way it needs to be practiced with.

Even if you can't get a clear shot and don't want to shoot you can shine the light into their face. A sheep told me that they will just shoot you holding the flashlight. That is why they are sheep. 140 lumens into the eyes will eliminate a person's ability to see anything in a dark room. Even if they are able to overcome it they will be distracted and maybe give someone else an opportunity to engage. Another great invention is the on/off switch. I can turn the light on and off as I choose. God also equipped me with feet which can move me from spot to spot and from an open area to cover.

5) Carry extra magazines. It always annoyed me watching some of the gun TV shows where they carry a 6 shot revolver and no spare ammo thinking this is all that is needed to stop a gun fight. If that is all you needed to stop a fight they wouldn't link .50 in belts. Caliber in my opinion has less meaning than capacity. If I have to use my firearm I am shooting till the target is down. My first well aimed shot may miss, hit the ground or a limb. Multiple shots to the bad guy no matter what caliber negates the "one shot stop" myth. If they are wearing armor, another bleating of the sheep then I walk my rounds up to his face. Also since you tend to focus on the weapon a couple 9mm into the receiver of the weapon, while not a fight stopper would def affect the function of the weapon. Better to shoot and hit the weapon accidently and walk it into his face then to be unarmed and look like a target.

6) Carry a mini-BOK or at least a battle dressing with your EDC stuff in case you or a loved one are shot.

More?

I agree. My boss was just asking me week before last about CCW. I told him if someone wants to kill the most about of people in the shortest time possible they will go to a church or movie theater. Kind of scary now after the fact. I always have my G23 and a Surefire E2E when I leave the house. Even to go to a movie.

Something scared the hell out of me last night while my family was out eating. There were some teenagers sitting next to us and it was apparently some girls birthday. So a big group of servers walked up out of my view since I never sit with my back to a door and set off some loud firecracker that sounded like a gun shot. As soon as I heard the noise I started looking for a gun and I was getting ready to draw mine. People are already on edge after the Colorado issue. Me anyways, but everyone else acted like they never heard it go off and when I mean it was loud it was LOUD. Really honestly scared me for a split second.

1. CCW wouldn't have made a difference, it was in a dark theater.
What I initially read about this is that the shooter started in the front of the theater. If he was in the front, what's behind him? The screen. Even with smoke, I'm thinking he'd be nicely silhouetted against the screen. Also, while everybody else would be ducking down or otherwise getting low, the shooter would be standing tall. Then there's muzzle blast, both visually and acoustically, to hone in one.

2. CCW wouldn't have made a difference, he was wearing body armor.
As there are different levels of protection with body armor, does anybody know what type it was? While a round may not penetrate, would it hurt?

3. CCW wouldn't have made a difference, he was wearing body armor.
So it's impossible for a return shot to strike the bad guy anywhere but the chest?

4. CCW wouldn't have made a difference, he was wearing body armor.
The guy had no prior combat experience. I suspect that his reaction to taking incoming fire would be more than a little bit distracting. This would especially be so if, God willing, there were two or more CCWs in the crowd.

5. CCW wouldn't have made a difference because the theater has a no guns policy and was wanding people entering the theater.
Yup, and this is precisely the type of place to avoid - crowded, dark, difficult/slow to exit, and no guns allowed. Ducks in a barrel.

To the extent possible, always go armed or don't go.

TR, excellent point about being stuck on Observe.

Gun free zones aren't.

Thank you for this. I reposted this elsewhere for its instruction quality with credit given.

I have also heard or Read many comments that he had on a Ballistic Helmet - So he was ALL protected. "Nothing Could Be Done"

Well A gas mask is not Ballistic anything.

If you can give a couple to the body to stop or confuse him than empty the rest of your clip on the head.

Body Armour may stop rounds, but it wont stop big pain from a 9mm thru .45.

Do what you can do.

Dump a half magazine of 9mm on up on some guy wearing armor and he will definitely be an unhappy camper.

Helmets don't protect a whole lot head on. The main thing is overhead and impact protection and reduction of injury from explosions. Delta Force back in the 1990s was using skateboard helmets. Their idea was it was lighter and cooler than a PASGT, gave a better mounting base for NV hear, and gave a little more head protection than a boonie hat. They also felt that it would offer some level of IFF.

Try checking your targets carefully the next time you go target shooting and block off the area that is covered by a helmet, and you will figure out that most of the target still looks pretty much the same. A headshot at handgun distances is a headshot and 90% chance of being a fight stopper, with round 75-80% chance of being lethal.

The vast majority of the time the shooter in incidents like this takes his own life, but waits until there is some form of resistance to do it. I guess to them, that's their cue for suicide. Sometimes it is the SWAT team finally arriving and entering the building, other times it is a citizen with a CCW permit. I remember there was one incident where a citizen shot the shooter once in the leg; NOT a mortal wound. The shooter immediately shot himself in the head.

The difference here is that the shooter did NOT take his own life, AND he was wearing body armor. This shows us that he intended on surviving.

The fact that his apartment was rigged with explosives, plus his affiliation with the Black Bloc of the Occupy Wall Street movement suggest that this is yet another OWS act of terrorism. However, it is NOT the first; remember they tried to blow up a bridge a couple months ago.

Keep in your vehicle both body armor and rifle. Keep on your side a high capacity pistol and spare magazines. Stay out of places that ban firearms. They don't deserve your business anyway. Discuss this with your wife before hand that way she doesn't drag you into one of those places.

7) Always have a charged cell phone. In the few instances where the police/ SWAT are coming in as the genuine good guys you need to give them as much information as possible. Militia people should be able to give much better information than the average sheep. How many, what are they doing, how are they dressed, are they together, where are they located, what kind of weapons, etc.

If you kill an active shooter after making sure he is down and does not have any more friends you should be getting on the phone to let the cops know an armed good guy is there because the cops will shoot anyone holding a weapon when they come in. I think you will be farther ahead by calling in and saying you are an undercover policeman than a concerned citizen who stopped a massacre. Will it get you in trouble later? Maybe, but they will be more careful upon entering knowing there is a plainclothes cop there than a citizen defending himself. That is of course if dispatch gives the information to them. Be sure to tell them what YOU are wearing and repeat it and tell them to pass it to the cops coming in, "undercover cop wearing _____, undercover cop wearing _______ "


This also allows you to get your story out there first for self defense. Like it or not shooting Hitler in a mall on a shooting spree will still make you a bad guy for owning an evil gun. "There is a man murdering people and he tried to kill me and I defended myself." Stress will probably jumble this up a bit so this should be part of your CCW training so it is automatic. If you don't practice you might get on the phone and say "I just shot this mother F'ing (insert racial slur)" which will play really well on NBC without them having to alter it like they did with Zimmerman.

A phone charger in your EDC bag might be a good idea to keep it topped off.

8) Find some good cover after you shoot. If you stand over your victory you will probably be shot by the first excited cop walking in. If it isn't safe to holster (and how would you know it is) the next best option would be to get your back against a wall or corner to allow you to observe only 180 degrees or less instead of a constant 360 degress. Move the weapon to a SUL position or hidden under your arm so it is not the first thing cops see when they see you. Make sure you are vocal and point out you are the good guy immediately but expect to be treated like a criminal at first anyways.

9) If you can't engage and are trying to flee the area do not move with the masses who will either trample you or push you into a place you don't want to go. Move to the outer walls and follow them. People will move to the center and bunch up.

One aspect of defending against a mass murderer that isn't touched on enough is the insanely ideological response from your public servants, especially the DA. You have to accept that you will likely have a second struggle after the shooting/hospital stay with the government.

If you don't, great. Go on with your life.

If you do wind up in jail awaiting trial for having a concealed weapon, assault with a deadly weapon, murder, etc. then you and your friends have to make a pact to get as much legal and financial assistance as possible. Everything from legal fees to media activism, to recall election procedures/impeachment against the DA, to commisary to paying the rent and debt notes while you're incarcerated. And you do the same for someone else.

And everyone in your group forms their own and everyone in those groups does likewise.