Exactly! Thanks Charles.Charles L. Cotton wrote:As more witnesses are being interviewed by the media we learn more about what happened. Apparently, there was no military style sweep from the exit door through the theater in one motion. He apparently fired the shotgun until it was empty and then switched to the AR. There was a lull in the action at that time, but the duration is unknown. There was a lull of several seconds while he tried to clear the AR when it jammed. I've seen three people interviewed who stated the shooter would stop in the isle and talk to/threaten people, even pulling them out of their seats and grabbing them by the hair. Then he shot them. During these times, he was vulnerable. If he’s close enough to touch me, he’s close enough for me to shoot him squarely in his unprotected face. As the Navy Seal in the linked article mentioned, there are almost always opportunities. His helmet was a vision barrier and if he really was wearing a gas mask, that destroyed his peripheral vision. I say "if" because I've heard some interviews that cast doubt on whether or how long he wore a mask.
The crowd was panicked which means the shooter didn't have control of the scene. This can work to a defender's benefit because the shooter cannot keep an eye on everyone in every direction. (Apparently he didn't care about doing so, if he stopped to threaten people individually and put his hands on them.) From the descriptions available, it certainly doesn't appear that he had every person in the crowd in front of like a drover riding drag.
KHOU Ch. 11 TV in Houston interviewed a retired FBI agent now working as a security consultant in the private sector. When he first came on the air, I thought "here we go with the anti-gun, do-nothing speech" but boy was I wrong! He was reserved in his comments, but the message was clear. With no way to escape or barricade against a dedicated shooter, would-be victims must act, react, do something because no one is going to rescue you. He made it clear that the reaction needs to be an immediate and violent response to the threat. Again, these are not quotes, but that was the message.
Passengers' response to the 9/11 hijackers have been discussed, including the difference with the folks on flight 93. It wasn't courage that made the difference in the reactions of the passengers on flight 93, it was knowledge. They knew from cell phone conversations with loved ones that this was not an "ordinary" hijacking and they were not going to be rescued. Their future was in their own hands. They made the decision to save themselves or die trying and by their death, save countless others. Armed with the knowledge gained on 9/11, airline passengers know they must act to save themselves and they have successfully taken action against terrorists and threatening passengers (and even one pilot). The passengers on a Southwest Airlines flight killed a passenger who was trying to open a door while in flight.
Unlike the passengers on flight 93 who didn't gain critical knowledge until they were in the midst of a deadly threat, we have known for years that dedicated shooters (or "active shooters" if you want to use the current, less descriptive term) rely upon 1) slow response by law enforcement (if any); and 2) a timid, sheep-like response from their victims. Law enforcement ranking officers and elected officials need to be honest with the public and tell them exactly what the retired FBI agent stated on his TV interview. React swiftly and violently as a group. Some will probably die, but the body count will be greatly reduced. Perhaps more importantly, people who want to massacre the innocent will come to realize that they would not standing before a herd of sheep, but cattle who will most certainly trample them to save themselves and others.
I want to acknowledge that my opinions are based upon my training and experience, as well as my age. I’m 62 years old with grown children who are quite capable of raising my grandchildren and I have plenty of life insurance to take care of my wife if I die. I also realize that some people run to the sound of gunfire while some run away. The former are not foolhardy and the latter are not cowards; it's just the way we are wired. But dedicated shooters in confined settings with the potential for mass casualties, while rare, present a unique situation where the flight response so natural for some is simply not a viable option.
Chas.
This illustrates my point and it comes from someone with more "street cred" than I. Forget that you have a gun. Let's say you don't have a gun. I'm not talking about one's ability to hit this guy with your EDC somewhere where the armor won't stop your round(s). The murderer was within 20 feet of several people and completely ignored them. He protected himself from being shot as best he could, but then ignored people close to him that could have just tackled him and taken his guns away from him. He was so focused on what was in front of him that he was probably completely unaware of what was to his sides or even behind him.
"NOT HERE" "Not in our buildings" "Not on our streets" 
What I am hoping is that the jail inmates preparing his food are fixing it up "real special" for him. 
