Would an armed audience have helped in Colorado

Jul 20, 2012, 10:58 AM

(warning- long rant, csb, did not read to follow)

I didn't want to threadjack, so I started a new one.

Here's the deal- yes there were "smoke bombs" or "tear gas" (have seen both quoted) and yes, he had on body armor and a riot helmet... BUT

Suppose you take your wife and children to see a movie and this guy busts in. He starts shooting and ends up at the edge of your row in the aisle. He turns toward your daughter, lifts his gun... STOP

At this moment, would you rather be the guy with no gun, who is going to jump toward him knowing you're going to to get shot and likely die right in front of your daughter and wife, or would you prefer to have a .40 in the holster from the moment he steps into the theater, trying to find a way to protect your family?

YES- I know that even with guns, alot of people would have likely died in the process of getting this guy down. YES- I know that it's tough to hit vitals when someone has on body armor and a riot helmet, especially with smoke/gas in the air. YES- I know that the VAST majority of the population has a flight instinct and has no desire to save innocent lives when someone like this starts firing a gun, and very few people have the intestinal fortitude to even attempt to stay put or mount a counter-offensive.

HOWEVER, with no firearm, and a family with women and children that stand no chance of fighting the stampede out the door, you got 2 options- human shield OR stand there and watch your family die. Me personally, I'd rather at least attempt to get close enough to put one through his neck while he's turned the other way, or else at least show him what a few bullets through his legs and arms feel like on his way to he ll. Think about it- if even 3 people in that theater were armed and brave, they could have gotten to him before he could shoot all three, given him what he deserved (a warm swim in a lake of fire), and saved dozens of innocent lives.

Sorry if this offends anyone, but "everyone should just run as best they can to safety" and "there's nothing you can do if he has on body armor or throws a smoke bomb" are just not intelligent responses, and they lead to no solutions for dealing with situations like this. Everyone who is capable with a weapon should carry- not only for their sake, but for the sake of helping protect others as well, whether the innocents are family or just human beings that deserve our help. And NEARLY everyone can become capable with a weapon if they train. No excuses- do what you can to help. By the time the police arrive, it's just for a report. WE have to help protect innocent people. All of us.

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Would an armed audience have helped in Colorado

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