Posted on Oct 2, 2015
What are you prepared to do in the event of a mass shooting?
18.4K
247
128
9
9
0
As shooting incidents seem to become more frequent what have you prepared yourself and your family to do should you ever be involved with an 'active shooter' in a public place? I have a friend (single mom veteran) who will be transferring to an online college program rather than risk dealing with a loner-loser who might 'go off' in a classroom? Suggestions on how best to prepare? Google 'bulletproof blankets' which are available for students.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/oct/2/chris-mintz-heroic-army-veteran-was-shot-7-times-a/
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/oct/2/chris-mintz-heroic-army-veteran-was-shot-7-times-a/
Posted in these groups: 
Active Shooter
Self Defense
Active Shooter Self Defense
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 51
2
2
0
I hope I will go offensive ... but until it happen ... I can only wish ... I would rather die rushing toward the gunman than kneeing and begging.
(2)
(0)
2
2
0
I have always been the one to confront situations head on and run to the danger. It's really not an ego thing; I am just wired that way.
(2)
(0)
2
2
0
This article best defines those of us that are considered 'sheepdogs' and what thoughts and actions we would invoke: An analogy of people through: SHEEP, WOLVES, AND SHEEPDOGS
Jill Edwards, a junior math major at the University of Washington, and a member of the UW student senate, opposed a memorial to U graduate "Pappy" Boyington. Boyington was a U.S. Marine aviator who earned the Medal of Honor in World War II. Edwards said that she didn't think it was appropriate to honor a person who killed other people. She also said that a member of the Marine Corps was NOT an example of the sort of person the University of Washington wanted to produce. What follows is Gen. Dula's letter to the University of Washington student senate leader. Read and comprehend what is being said, and decide if you want to be a "sheep".
To: Edwards, Jill (student, U)
Subject: SHEEP, WOLVES, AND SHEEPDOGS
Miss Edwards, I read of your 'student activity' regarding the proposed memorial to Col Greg Boyington, USMC and a Medal of Honor winner. I suspect you will receive a bellyful of angry e-mails from conservative folks like me. You may be too young to appreciate fully the sacrifices of generations of
servicemen and servicewomen on whose shoulders you and your fellow students stand. I forgive you for the untutored ways of youth and your naiveté. It may be that you are, simply, a sheep. There's no dishonor in being a sheep - - as long as you know and accept what you are. Please take a couple of minutes to read the following. And be grateful for the millions of American sheepdogs who permit you the freedom to express even bad ideas.
Brett Dula
Sheepdog, retired
ON SHEEP, WOLVES, AND SHEEPDOGS - By LTC(RET) Dave Grossman, RANGER, Ph.D., author of "On Killing."
Honor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age. It does so because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy things that deserve defending, even if it comes at a high cost. In our time, that may mean social disapproval, public scorn, hardship, persecution, or as always, even death itself.
The question remains:
What is worth defending?
What is worth dying for?
What is worth living for?
- William J. Bennett - in a lecture to the United States Naval Academy November 24, 1997
One Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me: "Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident."
This is true. Remember, the murder rate is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated assault rate is four per 1,000 per year. What this means is that the vast majority of Americans are not inclined to hurt one another. Some estimates say that two million Americans are victims of violent crimes every year, a tragic, staggering number, perhaps an all-time record rate of violent crime. But there are almost 300 million Americans, which means that the odds of being a victim of violent crime is considerably
less than one in a hundred on any given year. Furthermore, since many violent crimes are committed by repeat offenders, the actual number of violent citizens is considerably less than two million. Thus there is a paradox, and we must grasp both ends of the situation: We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep.
I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me, it is like the pretty, blue robin's egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue shell. Police officers, soldiers, and other warriors are like that shell, and someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful. For now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators. "Then there are the wolves," the old war veteran said, "and the wolves
feed on the sheep without mercy." Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? You had better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial. "Then there are sheepdogs," he went on, "and I'm a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf." If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your
fellow citizens? What do you have then? You have a sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero's path, someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed. Let me expand on this old soldier's excellent model of the sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. We know that the sheep live in denial, that is what makes them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids' schools. But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their kid's school. Our children are thousands of times more likely to be killed or seriously injured by school violence than fire, but the sheep’s only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or harm their child is just too hard, and so they chose the path of denial. The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, cannot and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheep dog that intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours. Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn't tell them where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports, in camouflage fatigues, holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, "Baa" until the wolf shows up. Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog. The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough high school students, and under ordinary circumstances they would not have had
the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just had nothing to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel those clinging, sobbing kids off of them. This is how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door. Look at what happened after September 11, 2001 when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Remember how many times you heard the word hero? Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle.
The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed, right along with the young ones. Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep
pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, "Thank God I wasn't on one of those planes." The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, "Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference." When you are truly transformed into a warrior and have truly invested yourself into warriorhood, you want to be there. You want to be able to make a difference.
There is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, but he does have one real advantage. Only one. And that is that he is able to survive and thrive in an environment that destroys 98 percent of the population.
Jill Edwards, a junior math major at the University of Washington, and a member of the UW student senate, opposed a memorial to U graduate "Pappy" Boyington. Boyington was a U.S. Marine aviator who earned the Medal of Honor in World War II. Edwards said that she didn't think it was appropriate to honor a person who killed other people. She also said that a member of the Marine Corps was NOT an example of the sort of person the University of Washington wanted to produce. What follows is Gen. Dula's letter to the University of Washington student senate leader. Read and comprehend what is being said, and decide if you want to be a "sheep".
To: Edwards, Jill (student, U)
Subject: SHEEP, WOLVES, AND SHEEPDOGS
Miss Edwards, I read of your 'student activity' regarding the proposed memorial to Col Greg Boyington, USMC and a Medal of Honor winner. I suspect you will receive a bellyful of angry e-mails from conservative folks like me. You may be too young to appreciate fully the sacrifices of generations of
servicemen and servicewomen on whose shoulders you and your fellow students stand. I forgive you for the untutored ways of youth and your naiveté. It may be that you are, simply, a sheep. There's no dishonor in being a sheep - - as long as you know and accept what you are. Please take a couple of minutes to read the following. And be grateful for the millions of American sheepdogs who permit you the freedom to express even bad ideas.
Brett Dula
Sheepdog, retired
ON SHEEP, WOLVES, AND SHEEPDOGS - By LTC(RET) Dave Grossman, RANGER, Ph.D., author of "On Killing."
Honor never grows old, and honor rejoices the heart of age. It does so because honor is, finally, about defending those noble and worthy things that deserve defending, even if it comes at a high cost. In our time, that may mean social disapproval, public scorn, hardship, persecution, or as always, even death itself.
The question remains:
What is worth defending?
What is worth dying for?
What is worth living for?
- William J. Bennett - in a lecture to the United States Naval Academy November 24, 1997
One Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me: "Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident."
This is true. Remember, the murder rate is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated assault rate is four per 1,000 per year. What this means is that the vast majority of Americans are not inclined to hurt one another. Some estimates say that two million Americans are victims of violent crimes every year, a tragic, staggering number, perhaps an all-time record rate of violent crime. But there are almost 300 million Americans, which means that the odds of being a victim of violent crime is considerably
less than one in a hundred on any given year. Furthermore, since many violent crimes are committed by repeat offenders, the actual number of violent citizens is considerably less than two million. Thus there is a paradox, and we must grasp both ends of the situation: We may well be in the most violent times in history, but violence is still remarkably rare. This is because most citizens are kind, decent people who are not capable of hurting each other, except by accident or under extreme provocation. They are sheep.
I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me, it is like the pretty, blue robin's egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue shell. Police officers, soldiers, and other warriors are like that shell, and someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful. For now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators. "Then there are the wolves," the old war veteran said, "and the wolves
feed on the sheep without mercy." Do you believe there are wolves out there who will feed on the flock without mercy? You had better believe it. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds. The moment you forget that or pretend it is not so, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial. "Then there are sheepdogs," he went on, "and I'm a sheepdog. I live to protect the flock and confront the wolf." If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your
fellow citizens? What do you have then? You have a sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero's path, someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed. Let me expand on this old soldier's excellent model of the sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. We know that the sheep live in denial, that is what makes them sheep. They do not want to believe that there is evil in the world. They can accept the fact that fires can happen, which is why they want fire extinguishers, fire sprinklers, fire alarms and fire exits throughout their kids' schools. But many of them are outraged at the idea of putting an armed police officer in their kid's school. Our children are thousands of times more likely to be killed or seriously injured by school violence than fire, but the sheep’s only response to the possibility of violence is denial. The idea of someone coming to kill or harm their child is just too hard, and so they chose the path of denial. The sheep generally do not like the sheepdog. He looks a lot like the wolf. He has fangs and the capacity for violence. The difference, though, is that the sheepdog must not, cannot and will not ever harm the sheep. Any sheep dog that intentionally harms the lowliest little lamb will be punished and removed. The world cannot work any other way, at least not in a representative democracy or a republic such as ours. Still, the sheepdog disturbs the sheep. He is a constant reminder that there are wolves in the land. They would prefer that he didn't tell them where to go, or give them traffic tickets, or stand at the ready in our airports, in camouflage fatigues, holding an M-16. The sheep would much rather have the sheepdog cash in his fangs, spray paint himself white, and go, "Baa" until the wolf shows up. Then the entire flock tries desperately to hide behind one lonely sheepdog. The students, the victims, at Columbine High School were big, tough high school students, and under ordinary circumstances they would not have had
the time of day for a police officer. They were not bad kids; they just had nothing to say to a cop. When the school was under attack, however, and SWAT teams were clearing the rooms and hallways, the officers had to physically peel those clinging, sobbing kids off of them. This is how the little lambs feel about their sheepdog when the wolf is at the door. Look at what happened after September 11, 2001 when the wolf pounded hard on the door. Remember how America, more than ever before, felt differently about their law enforcement officers and military personnel? Remember how many times you heard the word hero? Understand that there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog; it is just what you choose to be. Also understand that a sheepdog is a funny critter: He is always sniffing around out on the perimeter, checking the breeze, barking at things that go bump in the night, and yearning for a righteous battle. That is, the young sheepdogs yearn for a righteous battle.
The old sheepdogs are a little older and wiser, but they move to the sound of the guns when needed, right along with the young ones. Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep
pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, "Thank God I wasn't on one of those planes." The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, "Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference." When you are truly transformed into a warrior and have truly invested yourself into warriorhood, you want to be there. You want to be able to make a difference.
There is nothing morally superior about the sheepdog, the warrior, but he does have one real advantage. Only one. And that is that he is able to survive and thrive in an environment that destroys 98 percent of the population.
(2)
(0)
CPO Andy Carrillo, MS
This is a wonderful essay. Thank you for taking the time to compose and share it. This portion jumped out at me: If you have no capacity for violence then you are a healthy productive citizen, a sheep. If you have a capacity for violence and no empathy for your fellow citizens, then you have defined an aggressive sociopath, a wolf. But what if you have a capacity for violence, and a deep love for your fellow citizens? What do you have then? You have a sheepdog, a warrior, someone who is walking the hero's path, someone who can walk into the heart of darkness, into the universal human phobia, and walk out unscathed. Beautifully defined the role denial plays for us all!
(1)
(0)
2
2
0
2
2
0
"Other". A lot depends on the circumstances.
If I'm armed and can get a clear shot, engage (I have a CCW). If I can't get a clear shot, try to safeguard an area where civilians can escape or hide. Distract the gunman myself if I have to: "Hey, lookit me, I'm running THIS way" (while the civvies run THAT way).
Unarmed? Try to organize safe area and evacuate people. But if discovered and unable to flee, throw *anything* at them and try to tackle them and make their ranged weapon useless.
If I'm armed and can get a clear shot, engage (I have a CCW). If I can't get a clear shot, try to safeguard an area where civilians can escape or hide. Distract the gunman myself if I have to: "Hey, lookit me, I'm running THIS way" (while the civvies run THAT way).
Unarmed? Try to organize safe area and evacuate people. But if discovered and unable to flee, throw *anything* at them and try to tackle them and make their ranged weapon useless.
(2)
(0)
CPO Andy Carrillo, MS
Yes, what we visualize ourselves doing can inform our actions when there is no time to do a risk/benefit analysis...top athletes have been using visualization for years to enhance or improve their performance.
(0)
(0)
2
2
0
1
1
0
I answered other because I am not certain what I would do, yes I have thought about what might potentially happen if I am caught up in a shooting situation.
I would like to think I would do the right thing, call 911, and try to help as many people as possible to escape to relative safety.
I honestly hope I never have to be in that situation.
I would like to think I would do the right thing, call 911, and try to help as many people as possible to escape to relative safety.
I honestly hope I never have to be in that situation.
(1)
(0)
1
1
0
I believe from my experiences in the Army and nineteen years of teaching school, where I had to break up some serious fights and brawls I would run to the "sound of the guns." Not only my training, but my natural inclination to not want to miss anything would kick in. I believe those of us with military training and experience are in a better position to respond to such situations. When I hear of these things happening I often ask the TV, "why didn't someone at least TRY to resist!!!???" I was not surprised to find a veteran did. Both my wife and I have had conceal/carry permits for years but I seldom carried because local law made their own rules so one never knew where one stood on carrying. A recent change in the law(s) have simplified matters greatly, I now intend to be carrying much more often. One never knows and it is better to be safe than sorry IMO. Sorry so long.
(1)
(0)
1
1
0
From past experience, I trust that training, inside and outside of the military, would kick in and I would take the action necessary. I cannot say go 'on the offensive' for sure because the situation will dictate the correct actions. I can tell you, I am not going to allow someone to walk up to me with a firearm and ask me if I am a Christian or not and wait for my answer without them getting throat punched, kicked in the groin and then clubbed in the head with their own weapon.
For the record, I am and I would forgive and pray for the attacker, regardless of the outcome, but I would teach him that turning the other cheek does not mean not defend yourself and others but to not be the lost soul that commits such terrible crimes.
For the record, I am and I would forgive and pray for the attacker, regardless of the outcome, but I would teach him that turning the other cheek does not mean not defend yourself and others but to not be the lost soul that commits such terrible crimes.
(1)
(0)
1
1
0
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google