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Front Sight, Press!
By Lt Col P
A clearer picture of the facts of the Colorado Springs church shooting has emerged over the last day or so, and even though it appears that the gunman died by his own hand, I think this doesn't change the essence of the armed guard's response one single bit.
The church staff understood the danger of this sort of attack (however remote the possibility), had a multi-facted plan in place to address an emergency, and executed that plan. Part of the plan was an immediate response by a small group of volunteers who assumed the duties of armed watch. When the shots were fired, one of them ran to the sound of gunfire and took the only appropriate action.
By all of the various press accounts I've read, this lady seems to fit the profile of the sheepdog--alert, capable, dedicated. The phrase that comes to mind is, "dialed in." Whether or not she consciously used the color code, I'd say she definitely started the day in Yellow, and switched to Orange and then Red in rapid succession. That her shots were not ultimately the fatal ones matters less than the fact that her shots took the gunman off his plan of action and stopped him in his tracks. She had the skill to hit what she was firing at-- I'd like to hear accurate reports on the range involved-- but more importantly she had the will.
Those of us who carry regularly and class ourselves as protectors should review this case again and again, and rededicate ourselves to the principles of self-defense. Urge your church and school system to adopt more realistic and effective policies against attacks, and be watchful against creeping complacency. The flag will go up when we least expect it, and we ought to be ready for it. The traits we need are skill, will, and attitude. Skill we must have, but will is foremost, attitude is supreme. Cultivate them all.
God bless the poor family who lost loved ones there, but thank God a real citizen was there to do what needed to be done.
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Comments
The police departments loss was that churchs gain! Apparantly she was denied a job as a cop.
Have you noticed that the cops show up to all these shootings armed and equipped like they are going into Fallujah! While they just stand around and wait for the gunfire to cease before going in ie. Columbine, and some others?
Self defence begins with the individual.
By now, everyone should be aware of the fact that the description of her as a "security guard" is about as accurate as the reports of "Israeli forces' stopping homicide bombers before they can act, that is, she was a prvate citizen with a concealed carry permit, not paid to provide security.
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The reason why her actions matter so much more than his fatal one shot is that, because of her shots, no more died before he fired his.