As news of the various, horriffic incidents like at Virginia Tech, Red Lake, Columbine and other schools has come in over the years, I’ve built up a sizeable body of advice for my kids.
If someone points a gun at you and tells you “get in the car” – don’t. Resist, fight back, run away. Your odds of survival are better with a thug shooting at you if you’re a moving target than if you go to a secondary crime scene. Even if you’re hit, a 9mm bullet has statistically about a 17% chance of killing you; at a secondary crime scene, your odds of survival are probably in single digits.
If someone tells you “get on your knees” or “line up” – don’t. Run. Break away, away from the shooter. Hitting a moving, dodging target is a lot harder than it looks on TV. Shooters like the dirtball at Virginia Tech or all the other school shootings are counting on compliant, scared victims; they found them:
One of his friends was in a Norris classroom targeted by the gunman, Jenkins said.
“He was very fortunate,” Jenkins said. “He said every single person in the room was shot, killed and was in the ground. He laid on the ground with everyone … he played dead and he was OK.”
Running and getting away throws off the shooter’s plan at the very least. And again, even if the scumbag shoots, his odds of hitting you are much slimmer if you’re moving, and if he hits you, your odds of living are much better if you’re moving away, fast, than if he’s putting a gun to the back of your immobile head.
Oh, yeah – and if your school tries to “lock down” around you? Get out. Any way you can; break away before your teacher can lock the door – run over her, go out the window, whatever it takes; do not sit still with a bunch of other immobile targets. At the very best, your school’s administrators’ primary motivation is to “manage the situation”, not protect you, personally. Sitting ducks make easier targets. Most of the dead in the Red Lake massacre three years ago were sitting in a locked-down classroom, like cattle penned up for the slaughter. So were many of the dead at Virginia Tech today.
Speed and evasion are your best protection, until that blessed day when you can get your own carry permit.
That is all.
Do you tell your kids they should arm themselves? If so, don’t you fear they will one day kill you?
No, so that one day they can defend themselves from the spawn of the AC’s Utopia.
Colwn, I can’t tell if that is a joke or not. If it is, it is in very poor taste. If it is not, wow.
AC, I know you meant that as snark, but I’m betting Mitch would follow Mas Ayoob’s advice: don’t try to childproof your guns, gun-proof your children. Raise ’em right and you have nothing to fear from arming them.
.
Dunno, Clown. Do you worry that Clownito is going to trundle the Human Cannonball cannon into your room? Or run you over with that little car? Or have the Fat Lady fall on you and smother you in your sleep?
Or worse. Come home one day and say “Papa Clown, I have decided I’m a heterosexual, 2nd amendment defending, pro-life, born-again Christian. Peace through strength.”
Mitch, I was following you pretty well, until here:
“break away before your teacher can lock the door – run over her”
There is a variety of reason that a lock down is preferred. You never know if there is someone sitting outside ready to pick you off as you hop out that window, and there is no telling what is going on in the halls. We are to lock down, go to the safest area away from the door so we are not seen and we have thel iights off. We are to not open the door or answer it for anyone INCLUDING the principal. For you to even hint at creating a panic where kids should run rampant in an attempt to ‘escape’ is unfortunate.
Hindsight is always 20/20, and after each event like this, lockdown rules are reviewed and procedures adjusted to provide the safest environment possible for the kids.
Please take a moment to revisit that portion of your advice. Where the other comments make some sense, I believe the ‘run over your teacher’ comment was way off the mark.
Flash
Unfortunately, Kerm, all of Angryclown’s acknowledged spawn were born with brains.
Though I don’t know if they’ll pull a 3.55, like Swiftee’s little Einstein.
Little cars don’t kill people. Clowns kill people.
Good points, Flash. We all (or most of us) know about fight or flight instinct. This situation had zero intelligence and no time for reaction. Hopefully lessons will be learned from this tragedy. Hopefully a heavily armed populace is one of them.
Kermit remarked from Bizarro World: “Hopefully lessons will be learned from this tragedy. Hopefully a heavily armed populace is one of them.”
Kermit, I fear you are insane.
Taking action against lethal threats
vs.
Hoping that the cops will be there to protect you and yours.
I fear YOU are insane, Clown.
“In an insane world the sane must appear insane”.
So are friends of AC now part of the “Insane Clown Posse”? Sorry, couldn’t resist.
From an email from a VT student
“A door to the stairwell had been opened and there was a massive trail of blood; we found out later that a class had tried to escape only to find that the monster had chained the doors shut before starting his rampage. They were all killed.”
and
“one of the guys in the front of the classroom was brave enough to get up and move the desk in front of the door to prevent outside entry. About twenty seconds later, the shooter rattled the doorknob trying to get in. When he couldn’t get in he fired two shots through the door (single solid piece of wood) and left. We heard him go in to 206 (the room across the hall) and shoot the people in that room. If we hadn’t put the barricade up when we did, I and all my classmates would be dead.”
I’m going to tell my kids to lock down, and lock down hard. The rest of this email can be found at michellemalkin.com
Remember that university that had those two insane students who got their guns and captured the shooter? Somewhere in Virginia a few years ago? Crazy bastards. Kind of strange thinking how I have guns, and my dad had guns and his dad had guns and his dad’s dad had guns and and his dad’s dad’s dad had guns going back to around the late 1600’s when the family first showed up here. Strange that none of us ever shot any of the family. Weird, huh.
“all of Angryclown’s acknowledged spawn were born with brains.”
Unfortunately, due to a defect common in the assclown family, the brains were not encased in their skulls and the doctors discarded the spongy mess thinking it was afterbirth.
Not that it’s that big a loss, you can see what happens when they try to stuff the inert brain back in every time assclown sits down to his computer.
Too bad, they won’t get into “Evanston” I guess. The upside is they’ll be safe at some second-tier college when the high-scoring, well-armed Swiftee Jr. goes on his inevitable rampage.
Is it this fear that drives your argument angryclown?
Must everyone be kept powerless to placate your fears, or just most people?
Angryclown fears nothing. He simply does not think you’re bright enough to handle a golf cart, much less firearms.
Oh, so you fear I am not intelligent enough to handle firearms.
Exactly how intelligent would I have to be, in your opinion, to handle firearms? Are all officers of the law up to your intellectual standards? Or do you disapprove of armed police also?
I notice that the news articles are referring to the incidenct as “a gun rampage”.
They repeat the term. A lot.
Troy,
Just a point of order; a comment section to Angryclown is like a fencing match to a swordsman. You can argue logic, ethics and facts with the swordsman; all he’s goign to do is try to poke you.
Just saying.
Mitch,
Having observed angryclown for a while now, I appreciate that what you say is true. I appreciate the talents of angryclown as well, and regard him as an avatar of provocation.
🙂
How about Lockdown and Flee? Depending on the firepower involved, the lock or the barricade may not hold out – remember Blues Brothers? Get out of the halls, lock the doors behind you and get the heck out of the building by any means possible – do not turn into a quiet, sitting duck behind closed doors. Odds are against terrorist’s accomplices looking for escapees…
Oh, and more thing – I’m sure you’ve all heard of Dr. Librescu’s last stand. Fitting that his last name is derived from the word Freedom… G*d bless his soul.
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“The upside is they’ll be safe at some second-tier college when the high-scoring, well-armed Swiftee Jr. goes on his inevitable rampage.”
Angryclown, as a Virginia Tech student, I do hope that was not intended as a crack at our academics during this time of mourning.
As far as the advice you’ve given to your children, I do wish that some of my fellow students had fought back directly against the shooter instead of either only through a door or meekly lining up (should that part of the story be confirmed).
Sixth Sense said: “Angryclown, as a Virginia Tech student, I do hope that was not intended as a crack at our academics during this time of mourning.”
Of course not. But your post does show the low level of reading comprehension among engineers.
[Hint: that was a crack.]
Sixth Sense: You’re actually a current Virginia Tech student? Angryclown, who may need to address some reading comprehension issues of his own, understood that as Va. Tech *alum.* Angryclown withdraws the slam. Even Angryclown can agree to give a pass to the current Virginia Tech student body, faculty and staff.
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