Reply #5

Bulletproof vest, helmet, throat and groin protectors -- someone firing at him in the dark with a pistol would have had a very small chance of even slowing him down, much less killing him. The chance of hitting someone else in the theater, on the other hand, would be quite good.

And of course, if there were more than one armed patron who started shooting, there is also the chance they would be mistaken for being part of the attack.

I appreciate the thought of how we might be able to defend ourselves, whenever some nutcase goes berserk. I will admit to having fantasies, when I am on public transportation, of what I might do if some armed asshole tried to terrorize the people riding. But even while fantasizing, I consciously realize that (a) none of us knows what we would do in the actual event; and (b) it's not neat and tidy like in the movies -- if we try and do something, it can go wrong and make things worse. Even so, I hope that I would make a move if I saw a chance. Unfortunately, I don't carry a weapon with me. I'm considering going around with a cane Seriously, as an older woman, I could carry a cane and would not be looked at twice by a gunman, but I do know where to hit someone on the back of their knees to make their legs buckle. (of course one must consider that if they are holding a weapon, it might go off or they might fire it in that circumstance -- but you take your chances either way, whether you act or whether you do not act)

Ah, fantasies. Nothing like them. But my main point is this: arming everyone is not a magic bullet. Pun intended.