[68908]

How fast would you have to be?

Forward to 0:50 in this video and see the kind of draw-and-shoot speed we're talking about!

I hate seeing stuff like that, because I used to be faster and better than I am now, and this is just more proof to me, I need to get back onto the range and get to work, the hard part is finding a range where they let you practice from the draw around here. Or shoot faster than 1 round a second. *sigh*

When you realize that when you're with a gorgeous women that you love, on a date, at night, even if you are armed, is somebody really not going to be able to get into your OODA Loop when you're sitting their laughing about something or noticing at how beautiful the night is? I mean, being that uptight to properly react to something like this when you're with a beautiful woman on a date is almost impossible I would think and some would even say rob you of the happiness of the moment.

Staying aware and all is great, but goodness, I don't think I could have done one single thing to stop a shooting like this the way it was described. I might could have returned rounds after maybe being hit myself, but no way I would have probably stopped those first rounds at the other person out of my gun. Being male, I would have probably been that first guy, and I would already be dead first thing.

There are probably only a few people on this board who could have literally stopped the bad guy from getting off one shot in the scenario given. We all have moments where we get out of proper condition and somebody can easily get inside our loop.

 

[DonT]

I will grant to anyone, it is virtually impossible to be always perfectly situationally aware. My philosophy is that I have attempted to make it just another habit, that I don't really consciously decide to do anymore. By habit, I do not look at my cell phone while I'm transitioning through a parking lot or other danger area. By habit, I am always scanning ahead and to the sides and behind, in the space I'm transitioning through. And so on. And, I can still enjoy the evening and hold hands with my wife and relax. But I still see around me, or try to. Now, is that going to save me from an ambush? I don't know. But it might give me one more second to get down or push my wife down, or get to the cover of a car a step or two away. Bottom line, I accept that I can go into my own private battle to the death, any second of any day. And I'm going to be in that fight, with whatever skills and reactions I can muster. Never give up, keep fighting.

 

[68908]

I will grant to anyone, it is virtually impossible to be always perfectly situationally aware. My philosophy is that I have attempted to make it just another habit, that I don't really consciously decide to do anymore. By habit, I do not look at my cell phone while I'm transitioning through a parking lot or other danger area. By habit, I am always scanning ahead and to the sides and behind, in the space I'm transitioning through. And so on. And, I can still enjoy the evening and hold hands with my wife and relax. But I still see around me, or try to. Now, is that going to save me from an ambush? I don't know. But it might give me one more second to get down or push my wife down, or get to the cover of a car a step or two away. Bottom line, I accept that I can go into my own private battle to the death, any second of any day. And I'm going to be in that fight, with whatever skills and reactions I can muster. Never give up, keep fighting.

Those are excellent words of advice, I try to follow some of those exact same things.

 

[GAfirearmsReference]

Don, those are words to live by.
Literally.

Situational awareness is important.
It's part of the O.O.D.A. loop for quick decision-making.
After you "orient" yourself to become consciously aware of what you are doing and what you propose to do next, and consider the risks associated with that course of action, next you must OBSERVE what's going on around you as you begin that next course of action.

Observation also means recalling things that you had previously observed but seemed insignificant then. Those things may be more significant now. In a hypothetical example, seeing three young men smoking cigarettes in one corner of the parking lot of shopping mall as you walk into the mall at 8 p.m. may be no big deal-- they could be just getting their nicotine fix as they prepare to do their shopping. But if you see the same young men loitering in the parking lot when you leave the mall at 9 p.m., you have to ask yourself if they're really customers or criminals looking for people to rob or cars to burglarize.

Observation is imperfect. Both good guys and bad guys use the elements of stealth, darkness, and distance to avoid confrontations. The criminals will try to stay out of sight unless and until they make a run at a particular victim. But you can and should try to be as observant as possible, so you have the best chance of spotting trouble before it comes your way, so you can have more options for how to deal with it (avoid it, or confront the threat with a winning hand).

Way too many people go through life in "condition white" -- meaning zero awareness of what's going on around them. It's like they're asleep at the wheel and moving based on auto-pilot. Everybody should be in "condition yellow" when they're out in public.