Be honest with your answer.

Say you're in a large store like Target-Walmart- You hear shots but not right near you. You could exit thru a door, or hide.

All of a sudden a guy runs by you saying there's a shooter several isles away killing people. The nut in VA is fresh in your mind.

You're carrying. Would you pursue the shooter knowing you could save lives if you shot him? But you also realize there's a chance you might be killed.

You have seconds to decide. Would you exit or hide? Or would you pursue him?

I know a lot of us talk tough, but in a Real case scenerio I often wonder how I'd react. And how others who carry would react.

For me- I'd get out of Dodge asap, unless I had family or friends close to the shooter. Then I would pursue him hoping to save them.

My answer sounds selfish to me after reading it. I'd feel terrible if dozens died and I fled.
But I'm not the best shot in the world, I'm a recreational shooter. If this guy knew how to handle a gun I might be toast.

It's hard to answer

I think you nailed it on the head. If there was a place I could get shot from without being in sight of the perp I might just do it. Other wise I'll grab the cell and get the heck outa there.

My initial reaction would be to get out of there and save my own ass, but I don't think I could live with myself knowing I had the chance to save lives and didn't. Like you stated, it's easy to talk tough and say I'd do something, but until it happened, I don't know what I'd do. I hope it never happens.

+1

I am a big chicken, pain hurts, been there had it, don't want it any more, but that said, I do not want be shot in the back, better to face it and stop it and than trying to outrun a shot in the back.

If I'm with my wife, I'm out the nearest door with her period.

Alone, unknown until it happens.

With a friend who carries, we would find and attempt to stop it maybe.

I'd get as low as I can, get within the clothing in the center of the store and go looking.


That said, A friend of mine and I talked about this when the last Mall shooting occurred. How do you know if the next "gun" you see is friend or foe? The Police are on the way, how do YOU a good guy keep from getting shot?

Here's how I'll finish. I'd keep my weapon concealed. Crawling may be nessissary in this situation most people shoot high. I'd be doing my moving under the concealment of the clothing and racks present. I also would wait to shoot till I not only saw the shooter fire another shot (hopefully not at me) and I want to see what that person is shooting at. IE The shooter is another good guy taking the bad guy out....I shoot the guy I see shooting...now what? Once I can see someone shoot, I'd draw, make sure they are shooting at the innocent and fire.

+1

The real problem is not getting shot by a trigger happy LEO after the fact. What would you do after the BG is down? How would you face the Police who are "securing" the perimeter, or would you wait for them to come to you? I have always wondered what the best thing to do would be.

My dear God, I never thought I would agree with Macphisto but in this case I do. The thinking part of me says bail out and run for the exit, another part of me says I could not live with myself if I had the means to stop a VT type of slaughter and did nothing.

I also hope it never happens but my reaction would be very situational, could I get a shot from behind resonable cover? Does it look like I will get shot BEFORE I can shoot the bad guy? There are too amny varibles here to give a good answer. I know my decision would be influenced if the bad guy was killing kids versus adults, women vs men.

I too hope it never happens, this would be a nightmare no matter what action you took.

Sorry, but this brings to mind a "Benny Hill" vision, a clothing rack moving around the store.........

But I also find that I have to agree with macphisto ................

.

+ at least 100...

If my wife and/or kids are with me, saving strangers becomes a secondary consideration, even if I wouldn't be able to live with myself after the fact.

If I'm alone, I hope I'd be willing to stop it.

I concur, family comes first but as a single man I have a different set of options. I think these questions are so hard to answer because each of us brings a different set of circumstances to the situation.

If I was in the position of possibly being able to save someone else but by doing so put my family in danger i would be in my opinion wrong. Family comes first then others.

I have thought about this a lot and i never thought that I would agree with Macphisto (sign of the armageddon) but he is about right.

Here is what I MIGHT do

Gather my family into a position of Tactical advantage - like a spot wih a couple of ways of getting out of there - but a spot where nobody could sneak up on me...

I may lay there in wait protecting MY family - bad guy shows himself - Controlled Pair to the Chest and one to the head if the opportunity presents itself. Other than the opportunity presenting itself where I thought that I could make a difference - I am not looking for this guy.

Here is the problem - I have 2 people with me that I am responsible for - wife and kid - that is where my responsibility ENDS.

If there is no way to herd them out of the store without being seen or heard or shot at by the active shooter - I might just hunker down and prepare to fight.

It is a tough call either way - notice I say MIGHT DO - as everything is subject to change at a moments notice.

As for my running int eh direction of the shots being fired or at the shooter to try to neutralize him - there are a lot of cemeteries filled with dead heros.

My family first - everything takes a very distant second place.

I don't feel the current laws allow me to pursue him without major repercussions (even though I may spend the rest of my life in an insane asylum for knowing I could have saved lives but didn't).

If I absolutely knew I could exit safely, I think I would. Otherwise I believe I would do exactly as Pinnacle described.....