Train!

[BigMat]

In this particular situation... as long as the man was posing a threat to others, I'd do everything in my power to stop him.
Is it dangerous? Yes! Would we draw fire? Absolutely! That would be the whole idea. Bring the fight to me so that innocents are not killed.
Not to mention... if I'm in my home/motel room/vehicle/business, I would most definitely have a long gun available. Though that's another conversation altogether.
As for hitting innocent bystanders. They will without a doubt have rounds flying towards them in the next few seconds... whether from the BG's weapon directed at them, or from mine while taking down the BG. I'm sure they'd be happier with him as the target and not them. If I was worried about hitting them, I'd solve that problem by closing distance and/or lowering my position (they're sitting, target is standing... lowering my position puts my shots at an angle that will go over their heads, not to mention gives me a more stable shooting position).
"Fear for my life and the lives of others" should help you in the courtroom, but I'm not worried about that. My #1 concern is making it TO the courtroom... I can worry about "after the fight," after the fight.


I agreed to it...
While it would be much easier with the setup I'm getting soon, we don't need to wait till then.

I am never going to agree with you on this. At least you acknowledge a long gun. Training gets you NOWHERE in this fight, unless you are trained to go to cover when taking fire. There are quite a few people on this thread who are good professional trainers and/or have years of services carrying a side arm professionally who disagree with you. I am not one of these people, just a guy who has seen what a pistol can do in real life and isn't about to try to pick a fight with one against a rifle, ever. I don't know your story or who you are, you could be Todd Jerrett for all I know, but even if you are or shoot as well as he does, you are sounding reckless or ignorant. I know that sounds/is rude, but suggesting we should get into high volume fire fights, from range, against a very capable rifle, in public is reckless or ignorant.

Bellow are a few facts-
100 yard dash /= combat stress
50 pushups /= combat stress
10,000 rounds in training /= 1 round in combat
miss in training /= miss in public
handgun impact on ballistic gel /= handgun round impact on armed man
good hit on IDPA target /= dead/disabled active shooter
Pistol /= rifle
pistol round /= rifle round
-training is great, it helps, but it doesn't give you the ability to smot foes at a thought ever. Second guessing someone who was there is nonsense.

Look at the lot again, the parking situation provides no cover, just long lines of fire. While were are talking about "what if's" and hypotheticals. There were unarmed people in his resturant for sure, did he know who was in the IHOP? What if a FBI HRT was on lunch in there, how about a CCW in a MUCH better position to engage, maybe a NV-AR15.com meet? The CCW shooter would be seen as a IDIOT in retrospect and be facing trial and/or dead. (estates can be sued) He had NO way of knowing the shooter was going to off himself, what if he just planned to barracade/rob the IHOP, he had NO way of knowing he was facing a high volume shooter. In either case, an outside observer providing good intel would be exceptionally valuable, and save many lives, a dead guy with a pistol gets no one anywhere.

His BEST action, call in support, provide observation so that when those with any chance to intervene successfully have good intel and early notice.


Rule I learned early in the firehouse. And I would wager Cops have a similar plan. I know armored cars do (spent a little while on one)

protect yourself first
protect your partner/crew next
protect you patient after you are safe
protect everyone else last

Are these men all cowards? Nope, just reasonable. I know there are plenty of men on the internet who are all about "damn the torpedos, full speed ahead," based on your avatar I trust you are familiar with at least one. In reality, guns blazing is not always the best call or the better part of valor.