This is a lengthy article from Foreign Policy about the terrorist attack on the Westgate Mall in Nairobi in September of 2013, but I’d suggest it ought to be required reading for gun folks:
Far from a dramatic three-day standoff, the assault on the Westgate Mall lasted only a few hours, almost all of it taking place before Kenyan security forces even entered the building. When they finally did, it was only to shoot at one another before going on an armed looting spree that resulted in the collapse of the rear of the building, destroyed with a rocket-propelled grenade. And there were only four gunmen, all of whom were buried in the rubble, along with much of the forensic evidence.
We’re fortunate that our military and police forces are far better than armed looters, but that’s not to say you can be guaranteed a quick and competent response if the situation goes extremely pear shaped.
During the roughly three-and-a-half hours that the killers were loose in the mall, there was virtually no organized government response. But while Kenyan officials prevaricated, an unlikely coalition of licensed civilian gun owners and brave, resourceful individual police officers took it upon themselves to mount a rescue effort.
Well, that kind of destroys the narrative for the gun control crowd, doesn’t it? When the shit hit the fan, it was armed individuals who stood up and got the job done. Of course, they and their ilk are doing everything they can to ensure something like that can never happen in this country.
“destroys the narrative for the gun control crowd” is a bad link.
Fixed.
I believe Kenya had restrictive gun policies that prevents many people from having a weapon. I read the article and the armed responders were off duty police mostly.
The local Police in New Orleans didn’t exactly cover themselves in glory during Katrina. :-)
When the SHTF it best to depend on yourself or family. Even neighbors are questionable. My son’s friend have always said if the sky falls they are coming to our house since we have weapons. None of them have bother to gather appropriate supplies and I can’t supply everyone.
As to an attack at a mall; run and get out Find a weapon; there are a lot everywhere, and use them or hide in ambush and plan to destroy the bad guy. Waiting to be shot is not a good survival tactic
From my own blog post on this article:
“…I am reconsidering the easy way we dismiss so many of the techniques learned in classes like I wrote about in ‘Urban Defensive Tactics’ class, 12/14/14 as being ‘inappropriate for non-LEOS or military.’
“Still highly unlikely we’ll ever use them. And the conventional wisdom is that, in a case like that, even a trained, armed citizen should hunker down and defend self and other citizens, not go hunting the bad guys, if for no reason than to avoid being confused for a bad guy by the first responders, but…”
I mean, it’s all well and good to advise “Hide”, but when you realize a couple of schmucks with AKs are hunting and murdering mothers with little kids, suddenly that class where you learned room clearing, transitions, and roll-over prone seems like a good investment.
Along with the “Shooter Self-Care Class” class.