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What will your handgun do against an active shooter? We found out in Garland...

deepdiver

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I found Bob Owens write up of the more tactical aspects (for lack of a better term) of the would-be, now DRT, terrorists in Garland, TX interesting. Two shooters armed with carbines taken out in 15 seconds by one trained (presumably OC) shooter with a Glock 45 acp starting at about 20 yard engagement distance.

Now, I know from experience that even mildly experienced shooters can rip out the center of a B-27 target with a Kel-Tec Sub 2000 at 25 yards. That these BGs were bad shooters is pretty well established just by the nearly non-existent damage they caused. On the other hand, we also know that most active shooter nut-jobs aren't terribly well trained or capable. I think the particulars of this incident give some indication that yes, a well-practiced armed citizen could also neutralize such a threat. That isn't all or everyone or every situation, but it does give us an example to throw back when antis challenge that a guy with a handgun can't stop a guy with a rifle.

Thoughts? (I am focusing here on an example of the effective defensive use of a handgun against 2 carbine-armed BGs)

http://bearingarms.com/pushed-forwa...-officer-advanced-brought-garland-terrorists/

At the point of the attack, the two suspects apparently drove up and opened fire upon an unarmed security guard who was accompanied by a 60-year-old Garland police officer. The unarmed guard was struck the volley of gunfire. The veteran Garland officer then drew his duty-issue Glock pistol and opened fire on the suspects.

The officer killed one terrorist and wounded the other in his initial volley of return fire. Witnesses claim there was a brief pause, and then the officer fire two more shots to kill the still-moving terrorist as he appears to be reaching for a backpack. The entire event lasted 15 seconds, with heavily-armed Garland SWAT converging on the scene immediately afterward.
 

Grapeshot

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Good thing Alvin York didn't stop to consider that he was under equiped and out gunned for the task(s) before him.
 
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stealthyeliminator

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Hey look, he made it 4 paragraphs in before an obvious grammatical error.

That aside, this is the first I've heard of this. Apparently my dwelling is a rock.
 

since9

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Fox News reports: “This is a prime example of a gun free zone and Texas. They showed up at Charlie Hebdo; it was a massacre. If these two guys would have gotten into that building, it would have been Charlie Hebdo time ten. Fortunately these guys showed up because they were offended by something protected by the First Amendment and they were quickly introduced to the Second Amendment.” - Rob O'Neill reacts to the shootout in Texas and ISIS in America.

OUTSTANDING.

ETA: I've long said, "The First Amendment protects the Second, and the Second Amendment protects the First." I feel so strongly about this that I added it to my signature line a couple of years ago. No finer example of this in action has ever occurred than what recently happened in Garland, Texas. Carry on!
 
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MAC702

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Fox News reports: "...they were quickly introduced to the Second Amendment.” ...

I thought it was a cop. That has nothing to do with the 2A, except that they play the "we're civilians, too," card when it suits them.
 

stealthyeliminator

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So, was swat already onsite because they were expecting trouble? I mean, I'm just assuming they don't have teleporters yet.

I thought it was a cop. That has nothing to do with the 2A, except that they play the "we're civilians, too," card when it suits them.
This is a good point.
 

OC for ME

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The OP event lasted 15 seconds with SWAT arriving immediately afterwards. Kinda beggars the notion of immediately, comparing 15 sec. with SWAT response time. In this case, on-scene would be almost too late, prevention being the best cure.
When seconds count, cops are likely to be...a few more seconds away?

They had security, the feds likely knew it was gunna happen, and no, I don't consider a 60 y/o cop as only a cop, but a armed citizen in the right place at the right time. Then again, there was a cop there...no?
 

deepdiver

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Cops, SWAT are irrelevant to what I found interesting. Two older guys, only one armed 60 y/o with a .45 acp handgun and then 2 active shooters with carbines. In 15 sec 2 active shooters with carbines DRT. Now Mom's Demand Action, ABC "hidden video experiment" people and other antis, tell us again how one guy with a handgun can't stop or slow down an active shooter(s) endangering dozens be it in a school, shopping mall, restaurant or art museum.
 

paramedic70002

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If the Garland TX terror event had occurred in NYC, the Tangoes would have gotten away uninjured, and 16 citizens would have been wounded, including several additional wounds to the security guard, as well as 2 wounded LEOs.
 

twoskinsonemanns

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It's a great OP but I'm sure there answer is the same. It's okay for cops to carry and protect they are trained.
If you want to have a gun go be a cop.
 

since9

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Cops, SWAT are irrelevant to what I found interesting. Two older guys, only one armed 60 y/o with a .45 acp handgun and then 2 active shooters with carbines. In 15 sec 2 active shooters with carbines DRT. Now Mom's Demand Action, ABC "hidden video experiment" people and other antis, tell us again how one guy with a handgun can't stop or slow down an active shooter(s) endangering dozens be it in a school, shopping mall, restaurant or art museum.

Thank you, deepdiver. This is precisely what this thread is about, as clearly evidenced by the title itself. I appreciate your bringing this back into focus in response to those who for some unfathomable reason want to drag it off into the weeds.

I thought it was a cop. That has nothing to do with the 2A, except that they play the "we're civilians, too," card when it suits them.

This event has everything to do with our Second Amendment! It may have been a cop there that night. Tomorrow it might be you are in waiting in line at a crowded theater or playing with our kids in the park. I've long said, "The First Amendment protects the Second, and the Second Amendment protects the First." I feel so strongly about this that I added it to my signature line a couple of years ago. No finer example of this in action has ever occurred than what recently happened in Garland, Texas.

Do you think that cops are somehow magically different than civilians when it comes to the use of a firearm? They're not robots. They don't possess some magic gene which sets them apart from the rest of us. In fact, they're not even selected on their ability to shoot, but rather, on the basis of education, thinking, and behavioral skills, along with relatively clean record. If they have difficulty on the range, as some do, they'll get extra training until they meet standards.

Don't let the "trained cop" part fool you. I've seen many shooters on the range who were every bit as good a marksman as your average cop, and sometimes significantly better. The only question is whether or not they would have been able to perform under fire as cops are trained to do.

Training isn't about hitting a target on a range. It's about keeping your cool under fire. Those of us who have had formal training, such as through law enforcement or the military, know that a quick, decisive, and accurate response puts you well ahead of the survival curve, as does proper use of cover whenever it's available. As a friend of mine who is an advanced firearms trainer recently shared with me, "when it comes to handguns, sights are best used to refine your point shooting skills." After years of teaching students traditional sight shooting, which ingrains that tendency for live, he's switched to point shooting, first, then using the sights to modify your body's "muscle memory" point shooting accuracy. Couple of shots; see how you did, look through the sights, adjust your aim, look back up at the target alone, and repeat. His goal is simple: For students to be able to draw and empty six rounds into center body mass at 7.5 yards in fairly rapid order (three seconds or less).

This departs from what we were taught in the military -- two to the heart, one to the head aka "3 and 3, rapid reload." The problem is that even then, a great emphasis was placed on sight picture. No emphasis was placed on point and shoot. If your targets are at a significant distance, like down the street, then you may very well want to revert to your use of sights. In the majority of defensive encounters, however, things happen the same as what happened in Garland, Texas: Armed perpetrator approaches and is clearly not doing what should be doing i.e. either threatening to shoot you or actually shooting at you.

Every time we're on the range, we should always be thinking about being in a situation where multiple rounds downrange, on target, in minimal time, are the only thing separating us from certain death. Go ahead - let that adrenaline rise! It's an important part of realistic training.

It's a great OP but I'm sure there answer is the same. It's okay for cops to carry and protect they are trained.
If you want to have a gun go be a cop.

Sheriff Clark is by no means the only sheriff in this land of ours who agrees that citizens should be armed. Literally hundreds have come forth in recent years affirming our right to keep and bear arms, even encouraging citizens to do so. Most of the men in blue on our local police force feel the same way.

[video=youtube;va9OXARK2Sk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=va9OXARK2Sk[/video]

Carry on!
 
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MAC702

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...This event has everything to do with our Second Amendment! ...

The article more than implied that being protected by a cop who happened to get lucky being at the right place at the right time to protect a bunch of unarmed people was the Second Amendment at work.

No.
 

since9

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The article more than implied that being protected by a cop who happened to get lucky being at the right place at the right time to protect a bunch of unarmed people was the Second Amendment at work.

No.

My God, Mac! Try stepping out from behind that boulder of yours and read the title of the thread, for a change: "What will your handgun do against an active shooter? We found out in Garland..."

If you want to explore a different topic i.e. your topic, that boulder of yours, by all means, go create your own thread instead of hijacking another's.

Sheesh!

Back to the topic at hand...

I've long considered myself above taking a tactical shooting course, but in light of the events in Garland, I think it's time I call my friend and see what he has available. I know there's a huge difference between tactical and IPCC shooting. However, if I ever find myself overwhelmed in a firefight, I'd much rather be able to put lead downrange -- accurately -- than be able to clear a multi-room structure.

Which would you rather be?

This guy?

[video=youtube;WzHG-ibZaKM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzHG-ibZaKM[/video]

Or one of the many folks who linger so long over their sights they become a statistic?
 

MAC702

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God forbid I comment directly on the article cited in the OP...

You were happy to merely comment on my "hijack" (perpetuating it) until I disagreed with you.
 
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MAC702

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True, but the tactical analysis applies equally well to armed citizens. Unless, that is, you believe police training is magical.

Agreed. My sole comment was to chastise Fox News for saying that a cop protecting unarmed people had anything to do with the Second Amendment.
 

deepdiver

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Obviously, not every OC/CC civilian is going to be as effective as the LEO in Garland, but then I don't think that every LEO would be as effective as the LEO in Garland either. There are many OC/CC civilians with training under fire as LEO or military who do have that training and skill set. And as we hear time and again, you just don't know until you are faced with that moment. I've had some advanced POST qualified classes and while I FEEL pretty confident, I have no idea how effective I could be. But I am convinced that I am far better off armed in such a situation than unarmed.

I have read some analysis comparing the obviously under-skilled shooters in Garland to other supposedly more accurate terrorists. But then the examples of "better" were not met force on force so it really is supposition when the shooters essentially have fish in barrels.

As and aside to the point shooting - I have an airsoft range in my basement work room. It is conveniently exactly 21' from a shooting position in front of the door to the back wall where the targets reside. I bought a 1911 copy airsoft that has correct controls and is not much lighter than an aluminum framed carry 1911 and it fits properly in my 1911 carry holsters. I find it a convenient, safe and inexpensive way to practice point shooting. And yes, it actually has improved my performance with a real 1911, especially first shot accuracy point shooting.
 

Spooler41

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Port Angeles , Washington
From what I've learned about the Garland,Tx. shooting , the responder to the attack was a competition shooter
with a very high skill level and much experience. Seems most LEOs are only required to qualify with firearms
two or three times a year, this officer has show-en a much higher level of skill than a run of the mill line officer.
I glad he was there at the right time to take care of business.

........................ Jack
 

KBCraig

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Aug 7, 2007
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Granite State of Mind
http://www.newsweek.com/swat-team-n...killed-gunmen-muhammad-drawing-contest-330782

Officers with a SWAT team killed two gunmen in Garland, Texas who opened fire at a gathering of people drawing the Prophet Muhammad last Sunday. City officials said last week the gunmen were killed by a lone traffic officer.

The new information emerged on Monday as part of an ongoing investigation into the attack by city police and the FBI, The Wall Street Journal reports.

When the two men, Elton Simpson, 31, and Nadir Soofi, 34, began shooting, a traffic officer did return fire with his service revolver, but only wounded the pair, the Journal reports. The two were killed when four SWAT team officers, part of the more than 40 law enforcement officers assigned to protect the event that day, arrived and fired off dozens of shots, killing both.
 
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