Proactive Shopping

Here we are again, looking down the barrel of another Black Friday.  In view of the on-going threat constituted by various terrorists and now OWS dipshits, here's what I'm going to do: walk around for a few hours. I have a right to do so. And I have a right to be in a public place with a concealed weapon because I am properly licensed in my state to do so.  Are you?   If not, why not?  What kind of mayhem are you waiting for?

Ready or not, here I come.

There's a mall near me that might be targeted in an attack, either by shooters or a bomber.  So that's where I shall take my stroll.  I mean, why not?  It's the day on which the most conspicuous-consumption money gets spent by people all over the world, especially by infidels.  Why the mall near me and not the mall near... you?  I don't know. Maybe it will be the one near you.  I don't have any actionable intel, no premonitions, not making any SWAG.  I'm just going to the mall near me because I can go to that one whereas I can't go to the one near you.  Maybe you could go to the mall near you.  I'm just sayin'.

I live in a state which permits concealed carry of handguns so I'll take my baby with me, as I usually do, and a few travelin' items, listed here for your consideration. Tell me if I'm missing anything.

If you don't have a handgun but would like one, for any reason, take a look here for some thoughts on good, reasonably priced weapons. 

For the truck, just in case; 12GA 2.75', 1 Oz HP Slugs.

If you're going walking ~ a choice only you can make ~ here for your review are some posts I've proffered in the past such as Shooters, here, and Give Me Back My Bullets, here.  Homeless Alert, here, and Lessons from Omaha,  here. Oh, the weather outside is frightful, here.  But the fire is so delightful, here, and This just in, here.

I've tried to cover a host of possibilities in the posts linked to above, but I know I can't cover each and every scenario because there are too many variables.  Still, if I hear shots coming from one end of the mall, I'll move toward the sound of the guns, not run screaming into the parking lot. There will be enough people doing that ~ I don't need to participate. I'll try to get to the intersection closest to the shooter(s) and then try to find cover, if it's available or concealment of some sort if that's all the terrain gives me. 

If the set-up permits, here's what I'll try to do if I am the only... walker: Assuming the shooter(s) is approaching from the direction of Monkey Wards walking up the mall towards Jacque C Penne, I will look for cover behind the centered kiosk, if it's there. If not, I'll take cover in the Pet Store or the Salon. I'll wait til the shooter(s) moves north past the kiosk and engage him with as much firepower as I can, shooting from the Pet Store toward the Salon or toward the Pet Store from the Salon, depending of course on where I'm situated. I'm not going to take a shot or two and then duck. I'm going to shoot until he or she stops his or her threatening/deadly actions and if that means I have to empty a full 30 round mag ~ and I've got three of those ~ into him, then that's what it takes. Followed by a quick reload as I check for other approaching shooters.

If the kiosk is there I can use that as cover. I don't need to get right up next to it for it to block bullets, I can move laterally behind it for several feet to the east or west and as long as I keep it between me and the shooter, I'm covered.

If there happens to be another walker with me, here's what we'll try to do: Assuming we're walking at the north end as we hear shooting coming from the south end, we'll head at a range-walk toward the sound of the guns. My partner will take up a position just north of the kiosk and I will go into either Ed's or Oz, and at least get some concealment, if only from a shadow. These positions give my partner the ability to fire north to south from behind cover while I shoot east-west or west-east. My partner stays concealed until I see the shooters have moved into the zone directly between Ed's and Oz. When they're in that zone, I open fire east-west or west-east and my fellow-walker opens up north to south. Suddenly the shooters are taking fire from two directions and if it's accurate and sustained fire, they're going to stop their attack right then and there.

If there is no kiosk, my partner goes into the Pet Store or Salon kitty-corner from me and, using the door-frame along the main hallway as cover, shoots the bad-guys when I open fire. It might be best if he's prone as he fires so the bullets are rising as they hit the bad-guys... and rising if they miss.

These are general tactics I may need to change based on any number of unforeseeable circumstances.

And, of course I'll let the cops do what they have to do whenever it is that they arrive on scene.

And, if they question me, I won't lie to them.

 

Now you know the basics of the L-Shaped Ambush. But they started it, didn't they?

Of course, before I begin to fire, I've determined by the reasonable man standard, seen here, that the shooter(s) pose a clear and present danger to myself and other walkers and shoppers and that the shooter's deadly actions need to be stopped immediately using reasonable force which is in this case, since they're shooting at people, deadly force.

At least that's my estimate. If anyone else were to be in my situation, he or she would have to make their own decision as to what he or she would or would not do. Maybe all one might choose to do is counter-surveillance ~ walking around looking for suspicious people and things to report to the police. I don't know. I only know what I'll do. And those who mutter or shout that we must doooooo something, but then do nothing can keep on muttering. 

Alrightythen,  I'll let you know how it turns out.  Hey, if you're so inclined, equiped and trained and you take a walk, you can let me know how it turns out.

How it turned out, as promised, update 26 Nov 11: Wall to wall people, most tightly packed at the food court.  Saw two security guards the entire hour I was there.  While I was doing recon on the food court by standing there pretending to describe the food options to the imaginary friend on the other end of my phone, one guard waltzes in the door from outside.  She's got a clipboard in her hand and proceeds to walk down the way where you have to line up at the various shops to order food.  At a pretty good pace, she walks the entire length, about 200', and then disappears.  Not once did she slow down to take a look at the crowd as they sat and stood and walked.  I estimate probably 300 people in the food court.

A few minutes later, I see the top of a security hat bobbing up and down and I assume there's a guard under it.  I was right.  I guess.  He's a little guy, but has on his happy face.  As I continue to talk to my phone he walks by and stops to move some sort of sign ~ like a small bucket hanging from a tripod ~ about 2".  Ahhhhh, perfect right there, I guess he was thinking.  Then he spots on the floor a splash of drink that I'd seen as I walked by that spot moments before.  The spot is about 5" square.  And it's dry.  He goes to some closet and comes back with one of those yellow warning signs and puts it on the dry drink spot and marches proudly away.

As I left the mall to head for my favorite pub to watch the Rangers and the Capitals play hockey, I saw the security SUV drive onto property with his little yellow light flashing atop his little white Ford. 

And that is all I saw, about 1330 to 1430 at the mall just down the street.

What I should have seen is a hell of a lot more security officers, all of them armed.  There should have been at least three officers on the building roof surveying parking lots and entry doors, looking for people getting out of vehicles as described in detail here.  There should have been at least two unmarked officers in the food court set up to ambush any shooters coming through the main door.  That fat guard in the booth by the door doesn't count, he's dead meat.

Anyway; you're still on your own out there.  Security will not keep you safe.  They don't have to do anything more than observe and report. So, it's up to you to protect yourself and those you love.

Update: 17 December 11: Going hunting.

Okay, I'm back.  Some observations:

• Wear different shoes next time.
• Saw only four security guards in the two hours I was there.  None armed.  One was a tall, chubby guy you could see coming a mile away.  Problem is, when he closed that mile and was right on top of you, he's still just there to observe and report.  Another was the girl I saw last time in the food court, only this time she was busy showing people how to find some store.  Another one was maybe the little guy who so dutifully marked that spilled but dry beverage my last trip there.  This time he was astride a mount: a Segway.  He had on a helmet reminiscent of old B17 tail-gunners. Goofy. And one tall, slender guy outside.  There may have been one or two on "patrol" in the parking lots but I didn't look there.
• Frozen yogurt brain freeze is like ice cream brain freeze, only quicker.
• There was a "Santa" guy strolling here and there doing little Christmas tunes on his accordian.  He had a little blue ear-ring in his left ear.  So, I forget: does that mean he's gay or that he's a biker?
• Some kid handed me a sample of Thai food and when the toothpick broke off in my mouth, I was momentarily concerned... until I realized the toothpick was actually a piece of uncooked spaghetti.  There is no Off position on the genius switch, eh?

When I first entered the mall, my profiling alarm went off like a roadside bomb because of...

This cupcake.  My guess is that's her son on her right.  Remember; boys and girls; even in the land of the free a Muslim woman is not permitted to be out of the house without escort from her husband or a male member of her family.  The hijab she was imprisoned in wasn't large enough to flow behind her as she walked so it was pretty easy to see from my position that she wasn't hiding a bomb... on her butt.  I kept her in sight from about 50', looking around me for someone who might be her handler, somebody with a detonator who'd blow her up when she got to the most deadly position among the shoppers.  Didn't see anyone who seemed suspicious in that regard and was going to try to get in front of her so I could see if she looked like she was pregnant but I lost her in the crowd ahead.  I think she ducked into the Victoria's Secret to check out the thongs.  Ooo, that's pretty creepy.  Anyway, I took a look around to see if the lovely stuck-on-stupid-in-the-7th-century couple came up for air and they didn't so I continued the promenade. 

About 90 minutes later, I was profiling in an area that had a higher probability of being attacked than most others in the building.  There I saw a young male who appeared to be of Arab extraction who was very focused on texting something to someone.  Okay.  I get it.  Everybody does that.  Sure, but not if and when I'm profiling.  The government cannot profile as a matter of law.  I can, may and will profile since I'm not a government agent.  So, if you're a young Arab-looking male in a likely attack location, tapping on your phone and looking like your head is about to explode because you're so intensely focused as you signal your brothers ~ a/o twitching with hate ~ then I'm going to watch you.  Closely.  I'm going to move to a position where I can see you but you can't easily see me.  Too, I'll try to make that spot one where I can see any of your brothers approaching.  It will probably turn out that you're just letting them know there's a really bitchin' sale on girls undies so y'all can properly dress your bacha bazi boyfriends, like these little fellas.

If it's not that, if you're there calling them in to begin some jihad, you will be resisted... with great vigor, resolve and firepower.

Okay, that being said; I did see the Muslimah and her harmless escort as I was on the way out of the building.  They were both in one piece, seemingly harmless. 

Comments

[M.Ray]

I have an elderly lady friend, living in Utah.
She was in a mall this last Summer when somebody set off a string of firecrackers. She threw herself to the floor and laid still until a police officer came an helped her up.
She said she was embarrassed, and the officer told her not be, if it had been an actual shooting it was the best thing could do.

[NextVoiceUHear]

Thank you for making one mall safer for one hour. For that brief time no one knew there was someone (you) willing to sacrifice the life(s) of terrorists to protect the sleep-walking innocents.

They will continue to dream contented visions of unicorns, butterflies, and sugarplum fairies until the next 9/11.

[EROWMER]

Superb!