Two wrongs don’t make a right, but two rights make a wrong. When a Good Samaritan acts to disarm a would-be church shooter, and the police rush in to save the day, then good guys get shot by good guys.
You can read the article here: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/he-disarmed-possible-church-shooter-then-police-arrived-shot-him-n851816
February 14th, on the same day of the now infamous Parkland, FL shooting that left 17 dead, here an unsung hero and his averted massacre barely hit the news. What lessons can we learn as we glean through the details of this report?
1. The media loves catastrophe. Why is the country obsessed with “gun violence” and “assault weapons” when they really should be cheering on real life superheroes? Because violence, heart wrenching tragedy, scandal and conspiracy sells ads better than real good news. The media that instigates a war between the left and the right then sits back to profit off of clicks and comments is a sick business.
2. The cops are not there to protect you. When seconds count, the police are minutes away. Here on the same day in two mass shooter incidences, they both arrived late, shot the good guy and refrained from shooting the bad guy. Drop your childish expectations that they will come save you. Cops are good people, but they are human and fallible as you and I.
3. Learn first aid. This man was shot through the lung, which caused pneumothorax. Do you know how to treat that to save his life?
4. Bullets aren’t magic. Upper chest injury from a rifle, yet survivable. In time of crisis moving boldly to attack or escape is worth the risk of getting shot, especially if it’s an even weaker handgun. Conversely if you must shoot to stop the threat, burn your adversary to the ground with unrelenting fire.
5. Off duty cops and CCW good samaritans, be careful to not look like a bad guy. If you are born brown or black, sorry but you need to factor that into your equation. It’s not their fault when they make the split second decision to shoot you based upon incomplete info. Church teams, I recommend you wear a bright sash on your belt that you can deploy for ID.
6. When they say drop it, drop it. Better yet, as soon as feasible, secure the gun in your holster or ground it to free up your hands. Cops are trained to assess your hands first and foremost to see if you are a threat.
7. Don’t hesitate, when the moment is right, attack. This hero chose his moment and threw himself at great risk into danger, potentially saving countless lives.
8. Not all bad guys are bad. Here is one way to show you are progressing well in rehabilitation.
9. Security guards are just about useless. Don’t expect to outsource your church or school security. A volunteer, a parent, an usher, a pastor, a football coach, these are insiders who are emotionally committed to the precious lives a school or church seeks to protect. Don’t expect a security guard or the police to be willing to die to protect you.
10. Mind the OODA loop and human reaction delay. If you are aggressive and bold about your attack, you always have a 1/4 second or thereabouts time advantage before your opponent can realize and react to your move. As long as you get the muzzle off your body and you are within 2 steps or so, you have a great likelihood of successfully disarming an assailant who does not anticipate aggressive counter attack.
Carry on warrior scholars.
