# What it is like to be in a crowd when shots are fired.



## RJAMES (Dec 23, 2016)

Shots fired or folks just thought shots fired in either case people got hurt in the aftermath . Take a look at the film and think about what you would do?

Penn Station: 16 injured in stampede over false reports of gunfire - CNN.com


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

Obummer supporters most likely.


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## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

I already know what I'd do because I've been in that situation. But this is another good reason to stay out of places like that. Not because of the gunfire Which wasn't actually gunfire) but because of the idiot sheep we have to live with in society. I'm guessing 99% of those people wouldn't know the sound of gunfire if they were standing in a range.


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## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

Last year we had shots fired at East Towne Mall. I didn't react like I thought I would.

I patted down my Kimber, felt my jacket for spare magazines and went to find my wife at B&N. Dead calm.

I told the guys on the other forum about my lack of emotion. They all said to wait a few days, however, the PTSD never came.

Now a few months after that I got a slight tear in my left retina--scared me like I was a little girl.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Situational Awareness. "Fight or Flight Responsiveness". Are a couple of things that come to mind. You may whip ole Slippy's ass but you will never sucker punch him. 

In other words, my damn head is always on a swivel and for some damn reason I have a decent radar detector of Shit-Storm indicators. I've told many a young person, "Do not put yourself in a bad situation and always know where the exits are". And, I pray that I am never in this kind of sitiation...

When I'm in crowds, I am on HIGH EFFING ALERT. 

This, I shit you not.:vs_no_no_no:


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## Joe (Nov 1, 2016)

Except to go to college I have lived in rural areas most all my life. As fate would have it I have a daughter that lives in Pittsburgh Pa. and another who lives in Columbus Ohio. They think their old dad is crazy and behaves weird when visiting. I just keep my eyes open and think about who is around me. I'm like you @Slippy I want to know where the exits are and at my age where the heck the bathroom is.:armata_PDT_35:


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## AnotherSOFSurvivor (Sep 7, 2016)

My rule is stay away from crowds - OSU games are just asking to get a Jihad put on em

But if I do go out I know where hard cover and exits are, best thing is duck behind something hard - wait for the stampede to pass then hastily egress when able.

Most of those people were tourists I'd guess or just got swept in the mob, stay calm and dont get trampled

Sent from my SM-G920T using Tapatalk


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## AquaHull (Jun 10, 2012)

OSU games in Columbus are no go zones for me also.
But I wear Maize and Blue, so it's to be expected


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## spork (Jan 8, 2013)

Holy crap, did you guys see the gal that had to have been 7+ foot tall. Other than that, the video was as expected. People without a clue...


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

Veterans who have been to a combat zone usually AVOID crowds at all times.
In the beginning of my therapy in the 1980's, a buddy and I would force ourselves to go to the mall and just sit on a bench. Our home brew method of desensitivity training.
However, I do avoid crowds to this day. My wife also. We have not been to a mall in at least 15 years. Let alone someplace like a concert, airport terminal, or the like. And especially Walmart.

Rule #17 - Avoid crowds, they draw fire.
Rule #23 - Try to look unimportant, the enemy may be low on ammo.


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## dwight55 (Nov 9, 2012)

Joe said:


> Except to go to college I have lived in rural areas most all my life. As fate would have it I have a daughter that lives in Pittsburgh Pa. and another who lives in Columbus Ohio. They think their old dad is crazy and behaves weird when visiting. I just keep my eyes open and think about who is around me. I'm like you @Slippy I want to know where the exits are and at my age where the heck the bathroom is.:armata_PDT_35:


I've been in Pittsburgh, . . . and am 35 miles north of Columbus, . . . I would discourage any of my kids from living in either.

I was "on edge" any time in Pittsburgh, . . . used to have to go there when I worked for PPG, . . . DID NOT at all like it.

Columbus is home to a huge ******** population, . . . and I DO NOT go there on OSU game days, . . . state fair time, . . . Memorial golf tournament, . . . etc.

When I do go to Columbus, . . . you best believe I've got a 1911 or similar piece within arms reach.

I worked at the center of downtown for the first 6 years out of the Navy, . . . could not get out of there fast enough.

May God bless,
Dwight


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## SOCOM42 (Nov 9, 2012)

I, like @rice paddy daddy, avoid crowds, shopping malls and other high density areas.

I am always armed, half the time with a backup, I will not go anywhere I cannot carry.

Generally speaking I ignore signs that prohibit carrying, nobody know what I have and I don't care what some limp wristed owner thinks.

I always get a seat in a restaurant with my back to the wall and closest to the rear exit as possible.

I even had one Brooks Brothers suit tailored to cover my Colt Commander well.

Every so often I go to the Wang or the Hanover for a performance, you cannot spot it or the two spare Wilson mags.

I don't worry so much about the centers, security inside is good and covert, but the walk back to the Cherokee.

Head is on a swivel most of the time, threat assessment, yes, profiling.


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## CamoDude9 (Apr 9, 2017)

It damn sure ain't fun. My biggest fear wasn't getting hit by rounds but being trampled by people getting the hell out of dodge. This situation happened at a huge get-together when I was young. A guy came to take revenge on another who had taken his girl. Of course he brought 2 friends and after a brief altercation , the shots started. The guy ran into the crowd so their aim followed. Only by the grace of the Almighty and their horrible aim, only 2 persons suffered flesh wounds. Three guns. Two 9mm's and either a .40 or .45. I have been shot in the collar bone area by accident on another occasion when a friend was cleaning his Glock and of course when field stripping your Glock, you have to pull the trigger, then pull back on the slide slightly before unlocking the slide. He forgot he had one hot after ejecting the magazine. It was through and through and felt like a piece of burning charcoal was in my shoulder area. Not as much blood as I would have suspected though. I got damn lucky in both situations and NEVER trust anyone near me cleaning their weapons now. It only takes one oops and you can't bring it back. 


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## SOCOM42 (Nov 9, 2012)

The above is why I go to the back of a restaurant and also check all other places for back doors.

I have no intentions of going in the same direction as the crowd of sheep, or piling up at the door like the Cocoanut Grove.


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

Did anyone else notice the guy in the sport coat?
He helped a sheep back to its feet, and left the frame to the left for a moment, deciding what to do next.
Then he returned, watched the panic-stricken masses evacuating, and started toward the source.
I half expected him to ghost pat a gun on his hip.
That man right there... that's who I hope I would be.

You can call him/me stupid for not leaving, but if I wasn't with my family, I would likely head into the fray.
I can't imagine leaving a bad guy with a gun alone with innocent and unprotected people when I'm right down the hall, and well armed.
I might die, but I'm taking one of them with me.

Hopefully, like this event, it's never an issue I have to deal with.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

The only time I was in a crowd when shots were fired. Anyone not dressed like us was on the ground. Those not putting people on the ground were searching 360 for anyone that needed to go to the ground for good. Scary few minutes.


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## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

Believe it or not, this topic has made me careful on where I drink my coffee.

I do not patronize Starbucks. I drink substandard, over-priced coffee at B&N for one reason--safety.

I talked to the manager the day I got my CCW permit because that store had no decals. She informed me that the national B&N permitted firearms. They also have an "L" shaped cafe' where I can sit with my back to the wall. This is an important issue for me, since this coffee shop opens to the food court, a spot where bangers sell drugs quite openly.

If you know anything about Madison you'll know that if a white cop arrests a black thug the city gets sued. They just settled a case for 3 million. So, I drink lousy coffee and sit safely...


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

Normally they won't arrest a black person to start with. To much trouble to do so. I in Madison.


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## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

Smitty901 said:


> Normally they won't arrest a black person to start with. To much trouble to do so. I in Madison.


...you must drink substandard, over-priced coffee, too, then...

You should come to B&N. I won't be hard to find.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

The Tourist said:


> ...you must drink substandard, over-priced coffee, too, then...
> 
> You should come to B&N. I won't be hard to find.


Mineral Point Road


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## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

Smitty901 said:


> Mineral Point Road


No, East Towne Mall.

For +40 years I've played with bikes. Now because of my eye, my wife and I decided it's a hobby that has to go. Even my buddies are saying the Interstate is a gladiator school. I might keep the 1200 Custom, but the fast one has to go.

So, I'm wearing my Harley duds to get some final use out of them, since technically, I'm still a biker. LOL


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

The Tourist said:


> No, East Towne Mall.
> 
> For +40 years I've played with bikes. Now because of my eye, my wife and I decided it's a hobby that has to go. Even my buddies are saying the Interstate is a gladiator school. I might keep the 1200 Custom, but the fast one has to go.
> 
> So, I'm wearing my Harley duds to get some final use out of them, since technically, I'm still a biker. LOL


 I will ride until I can't, going out ugly if that is what it takes.


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## MisterMills357 (Apr 15, 2015)

I have promised myself that I will never run away in stark terror from gun shots. I will get up against a wall and observe the sit-rep, and it I see the gunman, I am going after him.

I will cut his carotid, or die trying; and that is my plan.
View attachment 44113

PS: my knife is smaller than his, but most knives are.:devil:


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## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

MisterMills357 said:


> I will cut his carotid, or die trying; and that is my plan.


I suggest you buy a TOPS C.U.T. 4.0 and have it polished.

Read some blurbs on Escrima. turn the knife 180 degrees, hit the femoral artery, twist the knife back 180 degrees and then slash out of the wound.

I've heard the human body will bleed out in minutes.


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## MisterMills357 (Apr 15, 2015)

The Tourist said:


> I suggest you buy a TOPS C.U.T. 4.0 and have it polished.
> 
> Read some blurbs on Escrima. turn the knife 180 degrees, hit the femoral artery, twist the knife back 180 degrees and then slash out of the wound.
> 
> I've heard the human body will bleed out in minutes.


Thank you for the recommendation, that is a good company to buy from. But I have a Home Depot $10 knife, and some yard sale types already. And they are sharp, and they are enough.
I have lost a load of Gerber, Buck and Cammilus knives, over the years; and I have given up on expensive knives.

PS: this is going to sound bad, but a severed carotid takes about 2 minutes to bleed out the human body. I killed a guy in self-defense, and it was his carotid that was cut.
It took about 2 minutes for him to drop in his tracks. This is one of the few forums where I even bring it up, it really sucked; and my trial was Hellish.


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## The Tourist (Jun 9, 2016)

No, I can understand. I have a bit of anxiety and PTSD, myself.

Something can happen to someone else, it will trigger a memory for me, and suddenly I feel like the one who committed the sin.

As I mentioned before, I read that Geronimo was searching for "stillness." If I'm privileged to go to heaven, I'd like to find a place with beautiful vistas, ribbons of smooth highway, and grottos for guilt-free naps.

Now, this has caused a problem for my wife and I. She says she "wants to go on vacation," and then writes a ten page itinerary that resembles the Bataan Death March. I want a chilled Mai Tai, a lounge chair with an umbrella by the pool and I'll order the cabana boys that no one speaks to me for two weeks.

In 40 years, my wife and I have had two vacations together. I told her no more death marches. She now takes a summer vacation to Aruba with her sister every summer, and the mutts and I sleep on the couch...


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

The Tourist said:


> No, I can understand. I have a bit of anxiety and PTSD, myself.
> 
> Something can happen to someone else, it will trigger a memory for me, and suddenly I feel like the one who committed the sin.
> 
> ...


 This subject would make a great little side of thing thread.


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## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

The Tourist said:


> No, East Towne Mall.
> 
> For +40 years I've played with bikes. Now because of my eye, my wife and I decided it's a hobby that has to go. Even my buddies are saying the Interstate is a gladiator school. I might keep the 1200 Custom, but the fast one has to go.
> 
> So, I'm wearing my Harley duds to get some final use out of them, since technically, I'm still a biker. LOL


After seeing 3 of my friends badly crash or be killed on bikes (2 of 3 died) the last 18 months through no fault of their own I've also cut way back on riding the last year and rarely take the lady when I ride. Often she wants to ride but... 
I still ride the bike but as my father said.... Every thrill has risk, you have to measure the pleasure against the chance of being hurt.

My father was an extremely aggressive competitor and tough man,,, but even he knew when it was time to stop riding horses over 5' fences. He rode horses almost at an Olympic Games level and often beat US three day Olympic contenders.. He broke bones, including his hip and neck 13 times (countless broken bones) while riding his steed.

Weigh the risk honestly,,, and decide it the thrill is worth it.
Dad was a big believer in being a Man of Honor. You can still be a man of honor if you honestly try to make smart choices.


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