| Identifying Characteristic | Spree Shooter | Responsible Citizen |
|---|---|---|
| Is armed with | rifle, shotgun, and/or multiple pistols | one pistol |
| Yells | "Die you f_ckers!", or "Allahu Ackbar!", or is laughing maniacally or eerily silent | "Drop the gun! Drop it now!" |
| Is shooting at | multiple fleeing or cowering unarmed victims | one armed person only |
| When target goes down | selects a new target and keeps shooting | stops shooting; likely holsters sidearm and then calls 911 on cell phone |
| When confronted by law enforcement officers | shoots law enforcement officers and/or self | surrenders immediately and peacefully, follows officers' orders |
Lest this be misconstrued...
Whenever the subject of allowing concealed-carry permit holders to carry their sidearm in their own self defense on the campus of a college or university comes up, and is covered in the news media, someone - possibly even a spokesman for the local police department - will inevitably raise the objection of “How will the responding officers tell the concealed carry holder from the mass-murdering nutcase? They might shoot the wrong person!”
Personally, I have greater respect for the abilities and training of law enforcement officers than the person saying that appears to have. To me, that objection carries the assumption that the police will charge in and blindly blow away anyone and everyone who is carrying a gun. I think that's actually a pretty insulting assumption.
I know that the majority of police officers will observe the situation and the behavior of the participants, and will apply their training and experienced judgement to decide upon their actions. There are vast and obvious differences in the behaviors of a mass-murdering suicidal spree shooter and a responsible concealed-carry-licensed citizen acting in self defense. The police will be able to see those differences, and will know that the concealed carry holder is not the threat.
In addition, the most likely sequence of events is that the concealed carry holder will have stopped the spree shooter and will have holstered their sidearm by the time police officers arrive on the scene. What police officer is going to shoot by accident someone with a holstered gun?
This handy little guide is intended as a response to that idiotic objection - not as a serious law enforcement training aid or a disparaging comment on the abilities of law enforcement officers. I apologize if I have offended any law enforcement officers; such was not my intent. I hope that they will actually have a “No shit, Sherlock!” response to this.
I do, however, hope I have offended the moron who raised that objection in the first place, and have contributed in some small way to their enlightenment.