Why did no one fight back?

[hogwylde]

IMO, the movie patrons didn't attack the shooter because by the time they realized what was going on - it was over. In the interviews, they all said they thought the smoke was part of the show so even when he went out to get his guns, the movie goers were still just sitting there unaware of what was going on. Just my .02.

 

[kwimby]

It was a perfectly planned attack, and nobody was ready for it.

 

[hogwylde]

What baffles me is why was the side door open and not locked?

 

[jg1967]

Personally, I am glad that none of you wannabee Captain America types were there. 'Cause there would be one more victim, one more orphan, one more widow, and one more person this freak could add to his body count. It is one thing for a platoon of armed soldiers wearing protective masks, with supporting fire, indirect fire, and grenades to assault a positiion, a totally different thing for some unprotected goober without a clue charging across a dark theater full of obstacles, "sun" in your eyes, against the flow of a fleeing crowd, with snot and saliva streaming from your mouth like a calf slobbering, eyes burning like someone just threw lye in them, and every breath feels like breathing in fire. You'd have no force field, no mighty shield, no superpowers, no x-ray vision, no spider web flying from your wrist, nor would you turn green, large, and invincible.

Just a puny little man with .223 rounds cutting through you like hot butter. And they say that most soldiers ask for their mama in their dying breath.

Would have made a good movie though. And you might even be considered a hero....if you made it more than 10 feet towards the shooter.

Apparently it was just smoke, not tear gas. And most of us are not wannabe superheros and frankly I resent that remark. But if you're carrying a gun and you're not willing to even try to defend yourself with it what is the point then? We don't know what would have happened if somebody would have shot back but we know for certain what did happen since nobody did. The attack went on until his gun jammed up and he surrendered to the first person aiming a gun back at him.

 

[Rich M]

Personally, I am glad that none of you wannabee Captain America types were there. 'Cause there would be one more victim, one more orphan, one more widow, and one more person this freak could add to his body count. It is one thing for a platoon of armed soldiers wearing protective masks, with supporting fire, indirect fire, and grenades to assault a positiion, a totally different thing for some unprotected goober without a clue charging across a dark theater full of obstacles, "sun" in your eyes, against the flow of a fleeing crowd, with snot and saliva streaming from your mouth like a calf slobbering, eyes burning like someone just threw lye in them, and every breath feels like breathing in fire. You'd have no force field, no mighty shield, no superpowers, no x-ray vision, no spider web flying from your wrist, nor would you turn green, large, and invincible.

Just a puny little man with .223 rounds cutting through you like hot butter. And they say that most soldiers ask for their mama in their dying breath.

Would have made a good movie though. And you might even be considered a hero....if you made it more than 10 feet towards the shooter.

Rather die in that 10 feet, TRYING to protect my family, than just sit there and accept the fact that your dead anyway. Have fun being an inanimate target.

 

[fstroupe]

Apparently it was just smoke, not tear gas. And most of us are not wannabe superheros and frankly I resent that remark. But if you're carrying a gun and you're not willing to even try to defend yourself with it what is the point then? We don't know what would have happened if somebody would have shot back but we know for certain what did happen since nobody did. The attack went on until his gun jammed up and he surrendered to the first person aiming a gun back at him.

Actually this was not directed at you because your post was reasonable. Though if you agree with all of the other posts and just didn't state that fact.....yeah, I understand your resentment. If the shoe fits.....

Though I really don't think that in that kind of situation anyone really thinks about legal ramifications of stopping a mass murderer, actually just the opposite. Stopping the killer would be the only thing on their mind. I don't think that anyone was really thinking about stopping the killer....which is what this thread is all about....they were responding as at least 75% of the human race, and 95% of the animal kingdom would...flee. Probably 20% of people....those with the best instincts or those who have been trained to do so, would find cover and/or concealment. Maybe 5% would blindly charge....

 

[fstroupe]

Rather die in that 10 feet, TRYING to protect my family, than just sit there and accept the fact that your dead anyway. Have fun being an inanimate target.

You would have best protected your family by forcing them all to the floor and making sure that they did not try to run with the rest of the crowd.

A man dying in that 10 feet would not have protected his family in the least, they would have been running with the rest of the people with bullseyes on their backs while you died in a pool of blood.

Get real.

 

[Rich M]

You would have best protected your family by forcing them all to the floor and making sure that they did not try to run with the rest of the crowd.

A man dying in that 10 feet would not have protected his family in the least, they would have been running with the rest of the people with bullseyes on their backs while you died in a pool of blood.

Get real.

I wonder how fast I can move, with my adrenalin on ultra high, when that mag runs out....? Think you can reload faster than I can close the gap?

Regardless of what it was, I would do something, even if it was climbing over your dead body, for real!

If there were a few people with my mentality in the crowd, especially close to the front, less people with your mentality would have died.

 

[fstroupe]

I wonder how fast I can move, with my adrenalin on ultra high, when that mag runs out....? Think you can reload faster than I can close the gap?

Regardless of what it was, I would do something, even if it was climbing over your dead body, for real!

If there were a few people with my mentality in the crowd, especially close to the front, less people with your mentality would have died.

I dunno....usta take me about three seconds with a well-worn M-16 and standard Govt issue mags.

Gimme a sick mind, a modern weapon and mags, a Dremel and buffing wheel, and veins also pumped full of adrenalin....probably get it down to 2.5 or less.

In the meantime you would be trying to determine where I was at, crossing fallen bodies, figuring out how to get across rows of seats, maybe sliding on the newly pooled blood that has poured on top of the dried soda, popcorn butter, and what other grossness that was on the floor.

At which time you would merely pull out and throw your mighty hammer.

 

[Stan45]

There are a lot of sheep that post here.

 

[Rich M]

I dunno....usta take me about three seconds with a well-worn M-16 and standard Govt issue mags.

Gimme a sick mind, a modern weapon and mags, a Dremel and buffing wheel, and veins also pumped full of adrenalin....probably get it down to 2.5 or less.

In the meantime you would be trying to determine where I was at, crossing fallen bodies, figuring out how to get across rows of seats, maybe sliding on the newly pooled blood that has poured on top of the dried soda, popcorn butter, and what other grossness that was on the floor.

At which time you would merely pull out and throw your mighty hammer.

I dont carry a hammer

3 seconds for you, never timed myself. How many seconds for some punk without training? I also live in Washington, I still have the option of carrying a gun. Dont forget that one. We are also trained, he was not.

There was enough visibility for him to shoot people running away while his vision was impared with the mask. He was up front by the emergency exit where everyone was looking. I reckon I would be able to see him.

So... now add me, and a few like minded friends to the mix and turning the attack on him? What do you think the numbers of the dead and injured would be then? Higher or lower?

It starts with you, and you, and you... all refusing to be victims to make a difference.

 

[Stan45]

Here is the link to the AURORA SHOOTING Diagram
Link Removed

He was walking in the aisle/stairs. Most people who are self defense minded will be seated close to an aisle (you can move you are not trapped)
The distance may have very close, yet some chose to just lie on top of a family member and cry. Now people call them heroes.
The problem as I see it from some of the postings is a lack of training. When someone says they would respond, and then there are post about what if this, or that, or what ever.
In my past training we were taught to problem solve, NOT start WHINING.
My God the sheep in here are think.

 

[Nightmare45]

Protection of my family and myself comes first, if it means pushing them behind me, armed or unarmed that is what will occur, it is a natural instinct. I do know that if I am armed and this is pretty much 100% of the time, family will be behind me and weapon, yep I may take a bullet, shooter might well take one also. For information, I have been shot at and I do shoot back. This being said nobody can say what they would do in any crisis, till you are there or live through one, you will never know. Speculation is just that Speculation. Peace, Love, Colt 45.

 

[jg1967]

Well we will never know if somebody could have taken him down, because all the good people that were present were good law abiding folks that had disarmed as per the rules. That's all I can say on this. It's a sad thing this ever happened any way you slice it.

 

[Ozarker]

Its true none of us knows for sure what we would do. Especially if we have family with us. But one thing comes to mind. Training.. Most average folk do not have the training for this kind of situation. They just go the ground. Military trains you to go to the fire when ambushed. If you go to ground your dead. One of the hardest thing is to go into the ambush... Its down to training, experience..

 

[Shoobee]

Why did no one fight back? Questions linger over James Holmes Batman movie theater shooting

Learn more: Why did no one fight back? Questions linger over James Holmes Batman movie theater shooting

One of the most shocking realization emerging from the James Holmes Batman movie shooting rampage in Aurora, Colorado is the fact that nobody apparently tried to ...

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Learn more: Why did no one fight back? Questions linger over James Holmes Batman movie theater shooting

Nice rant.

Most people have I/Q's high enough to figure out that they themselves don't stand a chance against the muzzle of a shotgun or semi auto military rifle without a shotgun or a military rifle of their own.

Low I/Q's might make one wonder if it makes more sense to quickly cover and hide, since the movie theatre was dark anyway, and the darkness is therefore your friend. Smart people however don't need to waste any time.

The mad joker psycho schizoid is going to run out of ammo anyway eventually. In his case his military-esque rifle jammed, as these ARs often do, often have, and often will.

 

[Rich M]

I will conceed that "What i would like to think I would do" was not the original question. Wrong thread.

Reloads and jams... lots of time to do something. Cant assume the perp will run out of ammo anytime soon. Last year in Issiquah Wa, LE popped a guy that was running around shooting. Didnt hit anyone, but the freek had 600 rounds on him.

Different people, different responces. Not everybody has the combat training and real life experiences others of us do.

fstroupe, how about a beer and we agree to disagree?

 

[Shoobee]

I will conceed that "What i would like to think I would do" was not the original question. Wrong thread.

Reloads and jams... lots of time to do something. Cant assume the perp will run out of ammo anytime soon. Last year in Issiquah Wa, LE popped a guy that was running around shooting. Didnt hit anyone, but the freek had 600 rounds on him.

Different people, different responces. Not everybody has the combat training and real life experiences others of us do.

fstroupe, how about a beer and we agree to disagree?

Hindsight is always easy.

Now we know it was a psycho schizo grad school kid with very little experience with guns who was just spraying and praying.

However on the scene you would not know if it was a well train rag turbanned desert jihadist.

Of course your first clue would have been that the shooter had an AR rather than an AK.

Desert camel jockeys prefer the AK without exception.

The people in the movie that night did not know that.

All they knew was that someone was spraying and praying.

 

[Shoobee]

Its true none of us knows for sure what we would do. Especially if we have family with us. But one thing comes to mind. Training.. Most average folk do not have the training for this kind of situation. They just go the ground. Military trains you to go to the fire when ambushed. If you go to ground your dead. One of the hardest thing is to go into the ambush... Its down to training, experience..

If you have a family you are likely not going to try anything suicidal. Ergo married men make poor heroes.

If you have your family with you then you are going to make sure they are down and safe, and you are going to cover them with your own body. That's pure instincts.

If you are single and at the movie alone you are likely the shooter then, how ironic huh?

 

[Shoobee]

Here is the link to the AURORA SHOOTING Diagram
Link Removed

He was walking in the aisle/stairs. Most people who are self defense minded will be seated close to an aisle (you can move you are not trapped)
The distance may have very close, yet some chose to just lie on top of a family member and cry. Now people call them heroes.
The problem as I see it from some of the postings is a lack of training. When someone says they would respond, and then there are post about what if this, or that, or what ever.
In my past training we were taught to problem solve, NOT start WHINING.
My God the sheep in here are think.

The problem I see is low I/Q's in the peanut gallery. You obviously have no idea what the muzzle of a shotgun or AR can do to your dreams of heroism.