Gun-Free Zones - An Invitation to Mayhem
November 18th, 2008 by Syd
A rare outbreak of sanity from the MSM:
When Seconds Count: Stopping Active Killers
Reported by: Brendan Keefe
Email: Brendan.Keefe@wcpo.comThere have been so many school shootings over the last 40 years that researchers have been able to develop a profile of the typical mass murderer.
They’re called "active shooters" or "active killers" and their crimes play out in a matter of minutes. After the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, police changed their tactics.
The two student gunmen killed 15 people and themselves before the SWAT team was in position.
Commanders realized that it simply takes too long to assemble a tactical team in time to stop an active killer. The new tactics developed in response to Columbine involved creating an ad-hoc tactical team using the first four or five patrol officers on the scene.
They would enter the shooting scene in a diamond formation with guns pointing in all directions.
This technique was employed by police departments around the country. Then 32 people were killed by a lone gunman at Virginia Tech in April 2007.
Seung Hui Cho shot 47 people, 30 fatally, in the university’s Norris Hall in just 11 minutes. That means every minute he killed more than three people and shot a total of four.
Once again, the gunman continued shooting until a four-officer team made entry and then he killed himself. Law enforcement reviewed its tactics.
Based on the Virginia Tech data, experts determined the first officer on scene should make entry immediately with an aggressive attack on the shooter.
Every minute the officer waits for back-up, another three or more people could die…
…The other statistic that emerged from a study of active killers is that they almost exclusively seek out "gun free" zones for their attacks.
In most states, concealed handguns are prohibited at schools and on college campuses even for those with permits. Many malls and workplaces also place signs at their entrances prohibiting firearms on the premises.
Now tacticians believe the signs themselves may be an invitation to the active killers. The psychological profile of a mass murderer indicates he is looking to inflict the most casualties as quickly as possible.
Also, the data show most active killers have no intention of surviving the event. They may select schools and shopping malls because of the large number of defenseless victims and the virtual guarantee no on the scene one is armed. As soon as they’re confronted by any armed resistance, the shooters typically turn the gun on themselves.
Source: WCPO.com
It would have been interesting if the writer had given some of his source references for us to follow up.
Keith
I agree with Keith, some references would have been nice. I find it suspect to say that “active shooters SEEK OUT gun free zones” A student rampaging at his school or a former employee rampaging at his company did not seek out those forums because they were gun free. Those shooters had other reasons.
Kris
Two points.
first. It is a shame that people will die waiting for a police entry team to make entry. But, it is simply stupid for a lone officer to charge in with no, or very limited, intelligence on the situation. The chances are almost 100% that, under those conditions, the officer is going to either be shot, or shoot an innocent bystander. These types of tactics are a knee-jerk reaction to criticisms of police departments when this type of shooting occurs. Police brass and their politician bosses would rather have a few dead law enforcement officers on the scene, so that they have some political cover when the criticism starts.
Second. Do not rely upon the police to save your behind. The average response time is approximately seven minutes from the onset of the attack until the first officer arrives. A lot of people are going to get killed in those seven minutes. All it takes is a single armed citizen to terminate the anti-social behavior of a gunman.
How many remember the massacre at the McDonald’s near the border south of San Diego? (I think there were 20-30 people shot, and many died. They actually tore down the McDonald’s and built a memorial park there because of the bad PR that was attached to the place)
If I recall the facts correctly, there was a female off-duty cop eating with her family. She normally carried a gun, but she removed it before entering the restaurant with her family, and left it in the car.
She stated in an interview later that if she had kept her weapon, that she would have been able to stop him after he had killed the first couple of people. As it was, she just had to duck, helpless, and pray that she or her family weren’t killed.
The main purpose I carry is not to protect myself, but to protect others who have no protection themselves. So far I have stopped a rape and two assaults just by appearing with a weapon.
Very few criminals attack others when the police are present. But many of them feel safe in attacking people in public as they do not believe anyone will have the ability to withstand their assault. An armed citizenry may change that attitude.
At least according to the FBI statistics that indicate a decrease in gun murders in those states that allow “Concealed Carry” (the anti-gunners are always reluctant to mention those stats - they prefer to include all gun deaths, including those caused by the police - in some stats they even included deaths by drowning to prove the evilness of guns!)