Forward Observation Post - Vermillion » Shooter

Citizens Against Terror

FOPVermillion — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 01:12:10 +0000

I saw mention of this story over at Patterico bringing attention to a warning by Scotland Yard of Mumbai style attacks coming to London. The article got me thinking about what would happen if the tactic is employed here instead of, or in addition to, London. In that scenario, I am glad for the Second Amendment and legal concealed carry in most states. Considering one reason the attack was effective in Mumbai was the gunmen seemed to be everywhere and law enforcement was overwhelmed. It would be a similar situation here in outcome, if not in fact. This is because in most active shooter scenarios, the police look to secure the area and then deal with the shooter. If there are multiple shooters, the SOP and local law enforcement will be overwhelmed . They may have brainstormed it but unless the shooters pick somewhere with a highly trained large force like NYC or LA, it will be too much for them. When that happens, it will be up to the people to do what they can if and when it is possible. I am grateful I will have the choice and the ability to act if that time comes.

- FOP Vermillion

A Theory on Major Hasan

FOPVermillion — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:02:46 +0000

As the news has come out it is clear Maj Hasan was a known terrorist sympathizer and had possible ties to people connected to the 9/11 attacks. When we hear that, it creates questions about why the guy was allowed to remain in the service. I know my first thought was they needed to kick the guy out. The powers that be must have been worried, considering we have heard he was under investigation. So why not do something?

I think the investigators (F.B.I., DOD, whoever) felt like they had a great lead here. Here was a guy who was connected with radical mosques was a true believer and was a Major in the military. If there was a serious sleeper cell in the area, they would want to recruit Hasan and use him to pull off something big. A Major in the US Army would have access and be able to go places terrorists could only dream of even being in the medical field. Armories, bombs, or entry to sensitive areas would all be juicy targets for terrorists. I think Hasan was allowed to run free and do his thing because he was bait. The investigators probably felt it was a matter of time before they would get a lead to a big fish.

If that is the case I can hardly blame them. Let’s face it… Hasan was highly educated and had been in the system for years and had done nothing more than express sympathies for the enemy. Not the type of behavior you would want in an officer and a gentleman but not the profile of a lone gunman. However, the London bombers were also highly educated individuals. In hindsight, there were probably signs we have not heard of yet that might have made us think he was going to do something.

-FOP Vermillion

Ft. Hood Shooting

FOPVermillion — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:29:47 +0000

Watching the news stories about the shooting at Fort Hood, I kept thinking how similar it was to the Virgina Tech shooting two years ago. As the facts available now point to one shooter (there is a search for suspects) who is a person with mental health issues, who took at least two handguns and quite a bit of ammunition and shot at least 50 people in a short period of time. Once again my first reaction was if only someone with a gun had been there to stop him. Once again I look at the reports of the location described and I know there would be no one armed near by. The location was one that was part clinic and part administration building. The people working there were likely the kind of stereotypical rear-echelon individuals who only saw a weapon when they qualified and didn’t see it again for six months to a year. These were not warriors who run to the sounds of the guns. They were just your ordinary people who work in an office but wear camouflage instead of khakis. The people visiting the building were there to get their affairs in order or to get check ups and likely were on auto pilot. When the shooting started, I am sure the first response was one of disbelief. From here on, anything would be wild speculation.

While people think of the military as being the people with the guns, the truth is that a base/post is one of the biggest gun free zones there are. All the governments weapons are strictly controlled and the rules are strict on personal ownership. If there was a weapon within several blocks of the shooting, I guarantee it was in a locked building with several layers of security. So once again, we have a shooting in an area where we have made it easy for the shooter to go about his business with minimal risk for the first critical moments of the attack. Bret Baier spent much of his time talking about how many bullets the guy must have fired. I am sure there will be much talk about the tools this murderer used today. However, I for one can’t help but think of the tools denied to so many of the victims. A few guns in the hands of the people in the building could have saved many lives. I think it is safe to assume nearly everyone shot today had training with a weapon and would have been able to effectively defend themselves given the opportunity. The ironic part is that if this happened in theater the shooter, rather than the victims, would never have stood a chance because of the hail of bullets.

- FOP Vermillion