E10 wrote:I like that, Austin, don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes. My first question about this incident is 'How long did this take and where in the world were the cops?!' Robbing that many people had to take 15 - 20 minutes minimum, maybe longer.
These guys were either very stupid or had some real brass. This is Texas - what are the chances that among that many people there wasn't at least one CHL or off-duty cop? Maybe there was one or more there, but had the same issues we're discussing, and didn't get a clear opportunity to shoot.
If they've presented firearms and announced their intent to rob everyone, the good guy with a concealed handgun still has the element of surprise. I assure you, my pistol would be drawn and cocked, with my thumb on the safety, but still concealed. And as others have pointed out, my main concern would be the safety of others, and maybe I would never get a clear field of fire. Perhaps the best opportunity would be when they're close, but not too close. Maybe when they get to a nearby table and are attending to those victims. Or like the Boston Legal scene, when they get to my table, hand over my watch, cell phone, wallet, &c., and then each round of ammo, one at a time (but just the bullets - if they want the casings, they can pick it up themselves). But unlike Shatner, shoot Center of Mass (CoM) rather than the perpetrators' feet.
One of the things I do at the range is practice engaging multiple targets in quick succession, as well as moving to make it harder for them to shoot me. One method I've considered is a single, well-aimed (maybe head) shot at the first target (taking advantage of surprise), two quick shots CoM at the second, and then re-engagement of the first CoM. Continue the sequence until the threat is neutralized. Just a thought, and I welcome any comments, criticisms, or suggestions.
It doesn't hurt to run through this situation and think about what we would do, so if we ever find ourselves in such a fix, we'll be a little more prepared. It's part of responsibly carrying a firearm - being prepared to use it, or not, and knowing the difference, when the situation presents itself.
I know a lot of folks practice various engagement scenarios, can punch the center of a target out at 15 yards, etc., but until you are actually in a real life scenario, you don't know how adrenaline, fright, people screaming, etc. is going to affect you. I can guarantee you will NOT be able to handle the situation like you do shooting IDPA or at the range running your scenarios. It just won't happen. In the two pull the trigger situations I have been in, I can tell you the adrenaline was doing funny things. A the distance I was at on both (>10 yds), I could have hit the individual, but would not guarantee it would have been 100% COM. Both of these ended guys ended up being shot by another officer who had a better angle (no one behind the suspect) and was closer.
In this situation, I think I would be turning over my stuff to the guys and unless the situation turned to where they were DEFINITELY going to shoot, then the best bet is to let them go and not start the lead flying. The chances of hitting something pother than the intended targets are just too great.
