Here in the US it's a total non partisan issue.
]]>There are folks who "strap on" when they leave the house in open and concealed carry states. It is almost muscle memory. So to them NOT carrying the gun is the thing they tend to remember. I think they are total nuts. As most of them think they can "make a difference" for the good guys if they get in spat. A few times I've tried to have a rational conversation with them they just don't get it. A paper target on a shooting range is just not the same as a combat situation with your adrenaline pumping and the bad guys not clearly marked with a big sign on their chest and back.
I thought so, too, until I took the FEMA IS-360 course on Active Shooters at Congregation Shaarie Torah in Portland. Then, I learned, from the FEMA instructors, that active shooters change their behavior at the first sign of opposition; when they hear another gunshot that's not theirs, they stop killing and go on the defensive.
So, even a small caliber pistol with a minimal ammunition capacity is useful in defending against wannabee mass murderers as per FEMA's Emergency Management Institute.
]]>"Wilson noted that while his pistol was not registered in Hong Kong, it is properly registered in Washington state, and that he holds a concealed pistol license."
It is, apparently, legal for him to carry a pistol concealed in his briefcase in Washington, which is where he comes from. Maybe not in an airport, but his defense seems to be "I forgot I was carrying this pistol which is totally legal for me to have in my state".
Ah, but Portland International Airport, from which he departed, is in Portland, Oregon. Oregon's gun laws do not recognize the civilian concealed weapon permits of Washington or any other state, and does not grant permits to Washingtonians. Therefore, when Wilson crossed the Columbia River on his way to fly from PDX, he was committing a felony before he even reached the airport.
As to how, when Wilson committed felony #2, carrying a weapon through TSA 'security', I can only point to this Forbes article indicating a 70% failure rate at identifying contraband. https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelgoldstein/2017/11/09/tsa-misses-70-of-fake-weapons-but-thats-an-improvement
]]>Maybe. I know someone, a "nice" little lady, who in her 60s thought she could have made a difference in that Colorado movie theater shooting. I told her she'd have likely killed or seriously wounded more innocents than maybe stopping the shooter in body armor. IN THE DARK. She was adamant that she could make a difference.
]]>You have to get more information on what “defensive behavior “ means. If it means taking cover and preparing to engage in a gun battle, that’s maybe not so good.
If you want a science fictional solution, I’d suggest carrying a flash bang full of toad venom, carrying enough of this potent and fast acting hallucinogen to fill a classroom. Ignite it when the shooter gets close.
While tripping on toad venom, they can’t move for ca. 15-20 minutes. Unlike other tranquilizer gases, i think there’s little chance of killing anyone who inhaled it. The psychological treatment bills afterwards, though….
]]>Robert Prior replied in #1016 to this comment from JohnS | October 25, 2023 04:19
"Wilson noted that while his pistol was not registered in Hong Kong, it is properly registered in Washington state, and that he holds a concealed pistol license."
It is, apparently, legal for him to carry a pistol concealed in his briefcase in Washington, which is where he comes from. Maybe not in an airport, but his defense seems to be "I forgot I was carrying this pistol which is totally legal for me to have in my state".
Ah, but Portland International Airport, from which he departed, is in Portland, Oregon. Oregon's gun laws do not recognize the civilian concealed weapon permits of Washington or any other state, and does not grant permits to Washingtonians. Therefore, when Wilson crossed the Columbia River on his way to fly from PDX, he was committing a felony before he even reached the airport.
As to how, when Wilson committed felony #2, carrying a weapon through TSA 'security', I can only point to this Forbes article indicating a 70% failure rate at identifying contraband. https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelgoldstein/2017/11/09/tsa-misses-70-of-fake-weapons-but-thats-an-improvement
Yeah, well ... I remember pointing out at the time that what "Wilson" did wouldn't be legal even if he'd done it in his own home state of Washington (nor would it be legal in Washington, DC - just in case there are still some who don't understand the difference).
"Wilson" was wrong about EVERYTHING and a prime example of why I don't support the NRA and the current Supreme Court's interpretation of the Second Amendment.
Letting any DAMN FOOL carry any firearm they want - any time, any place - is NOT a "well regulated militia" and certainly no contribution to maintaining the security of a free state.
I like guns. I enjoyed shooting when it was my turn on the range. I even enjoyed it when it was my turn to shoot the machine guns (although anyone who ever HAS fired an M60 knows you can't Rambo [RamDumbo] it - you won't hit shit, probably not even with the first shot).
When I was in Iraq, if it had been necessary to perform my duty as a soldier under fire, I believe I could have ...
I don't own a gun. I don't think I ever will ... at least I hope things never get bad enough I think I need one.
But this fuckin' wild west BULLSHIT has gotten completely out of control and it has to stop.
]]>So, even a small caliber pistol with a minimal ammunition capacity is useful in defending against wannabee mass murderers as per FEMA's Emergency Management Institute.
Maybe. I know someone, a "nice" little lady, who in her 60s thought she could have made a difference in that Colorado movie theater shooting. I told her she'd have likely killed or seriously wounded more innocents than maybe stopping the shooter in body armor. IN THE DARK. She was adamant that she could make a difference.
It's a fuckin' insane idea. And I don't find it anywhere in the FEMA documentation I have access to. Run, Hide, Fight (Fight ONLY IF you can't run/hide) and no mention of engaging the shooter with your own firearm.
It certainly WAS NOT included in the MILITARY active shooter training I was required to undergo when I was on duty at RDU airport after 9/11.
The main thing having ANY gun in an active shooter situation is likely to do is cause Law Enforcement to mistake YOU for the shooter.
]]>@1834 So this is saying to me that the best thing FEMA could promote is carrying a small blank firing pistol to make some bangs with but not risk hitting the wrong target.
Having ANYTHING that even vaguely resembles a firearm in your hands when Law Enforcement responds to an "active shooter" is an invitation to get yourself mag dumped & a closed casket for your funeral.
]]>My wife's immediate response when she saw it: "Store an MP3 of a gunshot on your smartphone, and play it"
]]>That's a reasonably sane proposal. Although it needs to be loud, so speakers would help.
Strobe lights might help too.
My (illegal!) but low-tech idea was fireworks and firecrackers. Properly made, they go through metal detectors and don't look like guns. They've also been militarized by the Ming, so it is about going medieval on an active shooter's ass. Figuring out what to store them, how to deploy them, and keeping them from used for...amusement... are major challenges, of course.
Maybe shop projects?
Oh yeah, some links: https://greatmingmilitary.blogspot.com/2017/12/military-fireworks-of-ming-dynasty.html and https://greatmingmilitary.blogspot.com/2015/11/pen-tong.html
]]>Back when my 30 something son was a teen he used one of our large travel suitcases to store a bunch of fire crackers. I went ballistic on him. He should have known better (we were very frequent flyers) and suddenly realized my point. Toss one big travel bag into the trash. There was residue inside the bag, the seams, etc...
]]>I should say that my preferred method for dealing with mass shooters is to radically limit the availability of guns that.could be used that way, and to make sasumata readily available to control people running amok with coldarms instead of firearms. (See https://www.mixedmartialarts.com/vault/after-slaughter-of-19-disabled-japanese-caregivers-learn-ancient-weapon among.others. There are videos of sasumata being used against knife attacks in real life)
Alas, I live in the US, not Japan. So I’m trying to help others figure out how to deal with gun violence without being highly trained shooters themselves. If my solutions seem insane, it’s in part because the situation itself is insane. I do wish sasumata were for sale in big box stores here, though.
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