The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - School board meeting-When to shoot?

LordTio3 · December 16, 2010, 10:52 AM

The woman, Pursewhacker, DOES have some guts. Lots of guts. Guts-galore. I think more people tend to freeze into inaction than don't; even the armchair security force. Honestly, I think if I listen hard enough, I can hear her brain scream, "He's right there! DO SOMETHING!" right before she did the first thing she could think of and hits his hand. It probably wasn't the smartest thing she could come up with. Lord knows she didn't have much time to assess, and it probably won't go down in her memory as one of her more glorious moments. But possibly turning an armed assailant to kill you where you stand takes enormous courage. I think "hero" might be a bit extravagant. But inspiring? You bet. Courageous? Without a doubt. Self-sacrificing? Why not. And she was the only one there who was willing to close distance and make contact with him. Once confronted, she simply did what made the most sense to her to ensure she didn't get killed: Make it an incredibly dishonorable act (more-so than it already was) by forcing him to kill a kneeling, crying, woman after she saw him care enough to ask most of the women to leave.

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Another question occurs to me, and it might start a little debate (hopefully the honorable kind).

The security officer, Husfelt, did what he was trained to do; call the police and wait for backup. He made sure that he was in close enough proximity to engage if necessary, but he also could not have a clear view of the precipitating events. If the gunman were to raise his weapon and fire, and a citizen were to engage him with a firearm and take him down; what is the probability that the security guard, hearing the gunfire, comes in and sees one or more people on the floor and a person with a weapon and returns fire on that person.

I realize that the single threat had already been identified, but the time from shots to return fire seemed to be just enough to get in the room and aim a weapon. Those gears are turning mighty fast. Should the guard have been in the room to witness the events as they unfolded in order to make sure to minimize the risk of misinterpretation of the situation that he sees only for a split second?

~LT

December 16, 2010, 10:52 AM	#29
LordTio3 Senior Member Join Date: March 5, 2010 Location: Bloomington, Indiana Posts: 850	The woman, Pursewhacker, DOES have some guts. Lots of guts. Guts-galore. I think more people tend to freeze into inaction than don't; even the armchair security force. Honestly, I think if I listen hard enough, I can hear her brain scream, "He's right there! DO SOMETHING!" right before she did the first thing she could think of and hits his hand. It probably wasn't the smartest thing she could come up with. Lord knows she didn't have much time to assess, and it probably won't go down in her memory as one of her more glorious moments. But possibly turning an armed assailant to kill you where you stand takes enormous courage. I think "hero" might be a bit extravagant. But inspiring? You bet. Courageous? Without a doubt. Self-sacrificing? Why not. And she was the only one there who was willing to close distance and make contact with him. Once confronted, she simply did what made the most sense to her to ensure she didn't get killed: Make it an incredibly dishonorable act (more-so than it already was) by forcing him to kill a kneeling, crying, woman after she saw him care enough to ask most of the women to leave. _______________________________________________________ Another question occurs to me, and it might start a little debate (hopefully the honorable kind). The security officer, Husfelt, did what he was trained to do; call the police and wait for backup. He made sure that he was in close enough proximity to engage if necessary, but he also could not have a clear view of the precipitating events. If the gunman were to raise his weapon and fire, and a citizen were to engage him with a firearm and take him down; what is the probability that the security guard, hearing the gunfire, comes in and sees one or more people on the floor and a person with a weapon and returns fire on that person. I realize that the single threat had already been identified, but the time from shots to return fire seemed to be just enough to get in the room and aim a weapon. Those gears are turning mighty fast. Should the guard have been in the room to witness the events as they unfolded in order to make sure to minimize the risk of misinterpretation of the situation that he sees only for a split second? ~LT __________________ ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ- Greek:"Come and take them..." Meaning: Here we peaceably stand as armed and free men, willing to defend that peace, and ready to make war upon anyone who threatens that freedom.