Wrap Up of the FL School Board Shooting

My bullet points (and we’ll be discussing it on the podcast next week:

• Gun-free zones aren’t.
• For every situation every day for the rest of your life — where is the exit; where is cover; where is concealment? This is not an option in today’s world, kids!
• Awareness is critical, but awareness NOT linked to action is worthless.
• You MUST be ahead of the bad guy’s curve (that is, in the OODA equation, you must move to the “decide”and “act” point before the aggressor completes his or her OODA loop).
• When facing a person bent on doing you violence, an understanding of visual cues is life-saving skill.
• Read/memorize Jeff Cooper’s Principles of Personal Defense…it’s short, succinct and 100% on target (I just bought another copy as a Christmas gift).
• Understand “phases and gates” — when we move to the highest threat level — call it Condition Red if you’d like — we step through a mental “gate”…all those issues and decision-making that concerned us in the previous threat condition are done, finished…now it is all about tactics and action.
• GET TRAINING! Then get more training.
• Do something! When you take the first step, it breaks the “deer in the headlights” syndrome we so so richly represented in this video.
• Be prepared to “go to the gun” much earlier than you think you should…that said, be prepared to CONCEAL the fact that you have gone to the gun from the aggressor and everybody else in the room. The correct moment to go to the gun is when some nutbag starts painting on the wall…the best place to carry a gun is in your hand! You can just as easily stash the gun unseen if said nutbad is painting, “Merry Christmas!”
• The lethal threat begins the MOMENT the assailant draws the gun; at that moment you are in fear for your life (and the life of others). When should your response happen? How about the moment you realize your life is at risk?
• If you can a gun for the defense or yourself and/or others, you MUST be able to deliver the shot!

Below are a couple of more comments from instructors:

Michael,

I have watched the video(s), seen the interviews of the people involved and I have read all of the responses from those you e-mailed. I have also spent the day thinking about this and I remain unchanged in my opinion…

“We must all be an active participant in our own rescue!”

Society has become WAY to reliant on the government for all things…food, unemployment, disaster response, diaper changing, crying towls, etc. etc. etc. They now expect THE G to ride over the ridge at the last moment and save their asses when life is threatened. Let me offer a bit of harsh reality…it ain’t gonna happen!

It was obvious that no one in the room understood they were facing a threat as he painted the symbol on the wall. They sat there and watched and even after he pulled out the gun a few dropped down behind chairs but ALL FROZE IN PLACE. They didn’t leave until they were ordered to do so. I give great credit to the woman who at least tried and if she had been in possession of ONE HOUR of training could have ended the situation. What hour? How to deliver an effective strike to the brachial plexus…hell, just smack him in the head instead of attack the gun. Most untrained people do not understand that it is the person that shoots, not the gun. Poke him in the eyes and he can’t shoot! Attack the shooter, not the gun. Its like people who want to ban guns instead of jail people who use them…Damn…

This was a classic case of “Sheepole” in in-action. Do nothing, talk, maybe we can reason with the crazy man. You can’t reason with crazy, irrational people! There were so many weapons ready at hand if they just knew how to think that way. Put your hands under the table, push up with the legs and launch it at him while launching yourself along with it. He would never have seen that coming. Smash him into submission. Do something, even if it ends up wrong…but DO. Just don’t wait to die saying “please dont do that…please”.

Enough already…I will step off the soap box. The news said there were a lot of heroes in the room. There were no heroes…just a bunch of victims who weren’t harmed.

Later,

Dave Spaulding

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Hi, Mikey…

I’d best remain “anonymous” for business reasons…

I’ve thought a bit about this, and in no particular order, here are some comments:

1)      My first impression was being startled @ others reactions there, e.g. the lady going under the table when the gun came out.  People got low(crawled on the floor) when they were allowed to/told to by the gunman-exit.
2)      Many others have commented and they’re all good; but I would emphasize some individual thought and training to “breaking the freeze”(can’t remember who came up w/that-wasn’t me, but I wholeheartedly agree w/it!!!).  The old adage, “Do something, even if it’s wrong” would seem to apply here.  Interestingly, perhaps some of the Board members thought they were doing something-talking,listening- or, felt(as one said) “helpless when he pulled the gun”.  DO SOMETHING!  MOVE! Yet another thing, it’s been studied (psychologically)…showing your back to an attacker, “encourages” them; move, if you can, facing the enemy.
3)      I’m continuing to flash on Cooper’s “Principles of Personal Defense”…it puts it all together:  Alertness, Decisiveness, Aggressiveness, Speed, Ruthlessness, Coolness/Calmness, Precision and Surprise…pretty much says it all.
4)      I liked/second Janich’s comments-I thought about a blow to the head from a fire extinguisher(stole that from Clint Smith).
5)      The observations about the perp’s shooting all valid; but it seems the rescuer’s first shot was low and left(judging from the reaction),too.   AND, many shots from a handgun to end it (and, in the end, as we’ve often seen reported, the perp offs himself).
6)      It occurs to me the Marines are pretty good at this –ATTACK, NOW!

I like your Sweetie; tell her this if you like:  have a means of defense/offense-gun, knife, ballpoint pen, whatever, and make the decision beforehand to use it, if you can.  Failing that, RUN!  And if you get trapped- FIGHT!

It’s how I’m trying to teach my daughters.