I just watched the full video on the Twin Falls Idaho Active Shooter. It is basically a comedy of errors illustrating that
lucky outcomes reinforce poor mindset and tactics. Yes, I will be a harsh m’fer…but I can be because I know what we can accomplish. We can’t say that it worked out so the preparation that was in place worked. It did not. Everyone was fortunate to have survived it. It's not the same.
Nobody in the event had their head in the game nor a skill set to match their expectations. There was some degree of courage, but everyone gets an F for execution.
Off duty guy was a “guardian” with the thought of saving people. What could he have accomplished if he had a killer perspective instead. He knew where the bad guy was and it wasn’t in the kitchen. I would have been impressed if he stalked the shooter outside then killed the shooter from ambush.
The woman seeking to pick up the bad guy’s gun. Why did she not have her own pistol? Again…courage without skill is empty defiance.
5.7 guy Salinas? Like I said in the prior posts. A for courage F for application. Apparently he didn’t do much with regards to the shooter that wasn’t already under way. And this one makes me shake my head…the distance to the bad guy was less than 50 yards. So much for the “he was trained” and the “speed is all you need” crowds.
The off duty officer that ran up to the shooter? What was he thinking? Do they teach no tactics in Idaho? Sprinting toward the shooter without a drawn weapon and the intent to kill him is idiocy. And that he had no round in the chamber on top of that? Inconceivable.
Other than -
- Some people had some guns in some versions of readiness, and
- People chose to take action of some sort.
I don’t see much to celebrate here.
Lessons -
- Always be armed…even if it means breaking every rule.
- Avoid drive through, but if you must be in one, leave room between you and the front car. Be able to access your pistol while seated, and always have an exit from the vehicle and an exit FOR your vehicle if needed.
- If in traffic and being shot at, understand the rules of the road become irrelevant. Look for the ability to crush them with your car, or exit your car and engage with effective (did I mention EFFECTIVE) fire.
Fortuitous Outcomes Reinforce Poor Tactics. Twin Falls worked out, but we should not look to this as “the best we can do”. We can and should do much better.
www.nytimes.com
