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Responses: 12
LTC Tom McNew
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Very good analysis.
The only thing I would add, with I'm sure many of y'all have already thought of is this:
What do I teach my family after this event? I'm sure that many of y'all like me have id'ed a rally point and have instructed family members should the need ever arise to go there and wait for me. But what do I tell my 83 y-o MIL who can barely walk? How should she react when / if she's involved (God Forbid) in an active shooter event?
Our Church has had multiple training sessions to teach Parishioners how to react, but sadly, they are poorly attended!!
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SGT Steve McFarland
SGT Steve McFarland
>1 y
That's something we need to keep in mind. Thank you Sir!
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SGM Erik Marquez
SGM Erik Marquez
>1 y
There is a bit of a difference in what is appropriate for daily, no direct intention in providing site security and procedures for something like site security (church in this example)

If your part of a direct security team, body army makes sense, daily carry and family activities not an automatic thing.

Site security to a fixed known location...Id have at least one team member with a weapon and skill to make a 1st round hit from the longest distance likely.. Be it wall corner to far wall corner, or door way to property "greeting area.

If that's doable with pistol great, if not carbine, if not long rifle. If your on the security team, your not going for max comfort, hugs and grinning, your there for a job..one job.
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TSgt George Rodriguez
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Excellent article that needs to be read by church security teams and those that don't have a team need this advice.
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SGT Steve McFarland
SGT Steve McFarland
>1 y
I got it from the other member of our team, so we will be discussing it at length.
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TSgt George Rodriguez
TSgt George Rodriguez
>1 y
SGT Steve McFarland - Unfortunately it takes something like this to awaken everyone and shows that they can do something about it.
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SGT Steve McFarland
SGT Steve McFarland
>1 y
TSgt George Rodriguez I started working on it over a year ago, but some people have been dragging their feet.
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PO3 Business Advisement
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SGT Steve McFarland - Keep working on em. Really all you need is a few active defense people to make a world of difference.
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Maj Kevin "Mac" McLaughlin
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If anyone hasn't watched the video and can handle the violent nature of it, I recommend doing so. Especially if you are on the fence of whether gun-free zones and limiting people's ability to carry concealed is a good idea.

I've trained for this scenario from a different perspective with the military, where I was soon to become an Air Adviser to train the Afghan Air Force. The author here speaks the truth and hit many of the elements which lead to my own preparation for deployment. Looking for things out of the ordinary like a man in a black hooded coat in church. Noting the mannerisms and changes in people's faces, clothing, and conduct (in my case we were trained to observe our Afghans' behavior from day to day, and to look for inconsistencies). And of course, observing new people coming into the room. To this day I argue with my family about taking the seat facing the entrance, all so that I can have that much more time to react to any situation. I don't carry these days, but that doesn't mean I don't pay attention either.

The author also speaks of training with your weapon and practicing. It might sound childish to practice your draw by yourself, but it is necessary to get the muscle memory going and recognize the challenges in doing it fast. Especially if you choose to carry in public.

Finally, making sure you have clear line of sight is paramount too. The last thing any of us want is to shoot someone trying to run away. This video hits home with what we were trained to expect in the Afghan classrooms and while it never happened the entire year I was there, we certainly were given multiple surprise exercises during the training, prior to heading out there.

Almost a year prior to my training, the Air Adviser Academy never had this in the curriculum. But after 9 advisers were killed in Kabul at a DFAC, they added it. One of the biggest driving factors was the fact they found one of the deceased Captains, who carried a 9mm, holding her phone (trying to call for help) vs using her weapon. They explained this is how many people during our normal routines outside combat zones are acclimated to the notion that we should call for help rather than attempt to respond. This is the final lesson which the author does not mention. If you choose to be that person, who intends to respond when faced with a similar situation, make sure you know how by training. One does not simply wake up and decide one day to go buy a gun and become a hero. Hell, even after training for this, I was impressed by the security team's response. I think I could use more.
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SGT Steve McFarland
SGT Steve McFarland
>1 y
I KNOW I can use more training. I did start practicing at 30 and 50 feet last Friday, because that shot was at a pretty long distance.
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