Now that ISIS has threatened attacks on American Shopping malls

[CajunBass]

Just get a 4WD truck and a couple of UZI's in a double shoulder sling and about 1,000,000 rounds of ammo.

It worked for Chuck Norris in "Invasion USA."

http://images.moviepostershop.com/invasion-usa-movie-poster-1985-1020196155.jpg

One of the silliest movies ever made. I love it. "I'll hit you with so many rights, you'll beg for a left."

I don't go to malls, but if some cosmic event causes a shift in the universe, and I end up in one, I'll stick with my 38 and a couple of speed strips.

 

[Thermactor]

The thing is,
America as a whole is not a soft target.
Americans in free states are well armed and carrying more concealed guns than ever.
For my part, I will not live in fear. For I live in a mostly free state. And my fellow citizens pack prodigious heat. I have to wait in the lobby for a while to even use a lane at the local range.
American police also are very well trained in firearms use and are involved in more officer-involved shootings than any other nation as far as I'm aware. So if a situation were to develop, it would end quickly.
Those Al-Shabab subhuman beasts won't fare well here. That's my honest belief. And hope.

 

[marv]

With the help of our media, the terrorists are winning. They need only to hint at performing an act. The media will take it from there and throw our whole Nation into a tizzy.

 

[Creature]

So many things to be concerned about every day. This isn't one of them.

Until it is. Its the things we don't concern ourselves with that often bite us hard on the butt.

 

[alsaqr]

I have lived through a lot and in 45 years of carrying a gun, have been in circumstances where it was necessary to use it.

Yep, i've lived through two home invasion shooting events. Mall shootouts with Islamic terrorists not so much.

With the help of our media, the terrorists are winning. They need only to hint at performing an act. The media will take it from there and throw our whole Nation into a tizzy.

Yep, and numerous scurrilous political hacks play on those fears.

 

[2ifbyC]

Zombies and Somalis and ISIS, Oh My!

I survived the toilet paper scare years ago and believe I can survive this one.

 

[skt239]

I'm more worried about the guy that robbed the convenience store right up the street from my house (with a gun) and its still at large 6 months later.

 

[Creature]

The thing is,
America as a whole is not a soft target.
Americans in free states are well armed and carrying more concealed guns than ever.

America as a whole is a hugely soft target. And I think you seriously overestimate the number of CCW's at any given moment and place...and who would be willing and able to counter a suicide bomber or terrorists armed with AK-47's.

 

[MisterMike]

Realistically, the world's the same today as it was before this call to violence. Should something like this occur, it's most likely that it'll be some nitwit who's been inspired to act out . . . either by this sort of a call to action, or by some other mental dysfunction . . . and not a highly organized attack.

Personally, this won't affect me. I carry as often as I can, but I'm also mindful of the fact that there are limits to what I could do with my little old peashooter. I wouldn't be too panicked over this.

 

[Thermactor]

America as a whole is a hugely soft target. And I think you seriously overestimate the number of CCW's at any given moment and place...and who would be willing and able to counter a suicide bomber or terrorists armed with AK-47's.

Granted, the MO of the average Muzzie no gooder on a one way trip to his maker may not be to give up and off himself as the mall shooter in Clackamas OR did when an armed bystander revealed himself, thereby ending the 'mass shooting' right then and there.
And maybe these Al Shabab guys are looking to turn Minneapolis into Mogadishu 1993 and recreate a Black Hawk Down scenario, and wont mind losing a lot of their own.



Perhaps one thing is certain. Anything that happens would be used by the executive and his handlers as a pretext to eliminate as many of our liberties as they possibly can.

 

[Sam1911]

Until it is. Its the things we don't concern ourselves with that often bite us hard on the butt.

While tru-ish sounding, that doesn't mean anything.

We all have plenty of things to concern ourselves with which are serious matters we should deal with or plan for. Things that can really harm us. Things that are likely, or at least in the realm of the statistically foreseeable. And things which we could react to in an effective way, so preparing for them is not a waste of precious mental and physical effort. (I.e.: not just so much "wheel spinning.")

As others have pointed out, if some jihadist plants a bomb or detonates a suicide vest there isn't anything my 8+1 rounds of .45ACP is going to do to help me. Best not to put much thought into that. (Aside from usual situational awareness and "don't BE there" habits.)

If 10-20 jihadists light up the local food court with bubba'd SKSs and AK clones -- again, I don't even play Steven Segal on TV, my pistol isn't going to be much of a defense. Carrying a full-size instead of a compact ... ok, sure. Big lotta good that's going to do.

One lonely martyr with a rifle? Well, what's the difference between him and Jimmy the disaffected goth teen off his psychotropics? We've been talking about those sorts of (astoundingly remote, but still far more likely) threats for decades. STILL not worth much worry. A gang shoot-out or basic hold up is still way, WAY more of a realistic concern.

And getting mugged in the parking lot is orders of magnitude more likely than that, even.

COULD it happen? Sure. WILL it happen? Maybe. Will it happen TO YOU? Uh, no. A statistician would put that up there with being hit by a meteorite. And, likewise with that chunk of space debris, if it DID happen, there wouldn't be anything you could do about it.

So don't spin your wheels. Improve your life and your safety in other, more pragmatic ways. If you could make changes to your life and habits, great! Do so in ways that would actually make a measurable, real difference. Don't go buy an AR "pistol" so you can tote more firepower. Make a weekly or monthly habit of realistic practice with the gun you actually do carry. Or, heck, lose 20 lbs, stop smoking, stop texting while driving, pay off your debts, or any number of other things you could do with the time and money and mental effort you'd put into these new worries about Johnny Jihad. Stuff that matters.

 

[Creature]

The point is that world has changed...and that there is now a concerted, organized and credible threat that has openly expressed a desire to strike us on our own turf.

I believe that high visibility strikes are going to happen...and sooner rather than later.

If those threats doesn't make you think or change your own personal security posture, you aren't listening.

 

[Thermactor]

What would you do if you were both forbidden from carrying a gun in your car anywhere on campus property, and also anywhere on the work premises in the parking lot, and of course on your person anywhere near those locations?
There isn't much except to try to not be afraid.

 

[Deaf Smith]

Has anyone re-evaluated their carry weapon? According to CNN, ISIS is asking it's supporters to attack shopping malls in the United States.

George,

No. No cause the weapon is the least of the things you need to prepare for.

First aid skills, skills at awareness, handling crowds, helping emergency crews, etc... And yes shooting and tactical skills. But the weapon? Bring what you normally carry, just be good with it. Very good with it.

Deaf

 

[3212]

Sam1911,Agreed.These propagandists greatly enjoy all the worry they create.

 

[Sam1911]

The point is that world has changed...and that there is now a concerted, organized and credible threat that has openly expressed a desire to strike us on our own turf.

I believe that high visibility strikes are going to happen...and sooner rather than later.

If those threats doesn't make you think or change your own personal security posture, you aren't listening.

Ok, then. So we all of a sudden have a credible threat that wants to strike the US. Clearly something that has NEVER happened before ... uh, well, ok, so for the sake of argument, sure. Truly groundbreaking, that.


Anyway, if we are all to think and change our own personal "securtiy posture" -- what would you have someone do to react to this threat? Aside from gut-wrenching worry, which clearly is a good idea at all times anyway, what can someone do to realistically prepare for ISIS at the mall?

 

[Creature]

Ok Sam, you're right. Your the expert. Forget I brought up how maybe we should take a moment to think or adjust our own personal security postures.

 

[Sam1911]

You don't get off that easy. WHAT should we do? You think this is a realistic threat? You think this is an important thing to think about?

Fine. What is the plan, then?

How do we train?
What do we carry?

How is that any different from how we'd prepare for far more common problems like muggings/assaults from average street criminals, or your garden variety spree killer?

You want to preach fear? Fine. Have a plan then and be ready to share it.

 

[MagnunJoe]

ONLINE shopping, baby! Why would U ever want to go to a mall and put up with traffic, parking, long lines and weird people? ONLINE shopping, baby!

 

[hso]

No rational person thinks Al Shebaab in Somalia is a threat to the U.S. Crying wolf in response to these posturing videos from terrorist groups like this just makes people laugh at us.

One U.S. intelligence official said security officials are indeed worried about the risk of an attack on U.S. soil by a solitary militant, but al Shabaab as a group has not appeared to gain much traction with most Somalis in the West, including in Minneapolis.

"In balance, I don't think this video adds much on top of the ubiquitous 'lone offender' threat,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

 

[jerkface11]

Instead of carrying a more powerful gun wouldn't it make more sense to avoid the mall?

 

[Creature]

"Preach fear"?

Wow.

Anyway, reviewing the Westgate Mall video footage has left me with the conclusion that someone carrying a five shot snubby may be at more of a disadvantage than someone carrying a high capacity semiautomatic and an extra mag or two.

 

[Sam1911]

Oh. That's it? Ok. Yeah. Do that. But not because of ISIS at the Mall. Won't make a lick of difference.

 

[Creature]

Obviously you have nothing constructive to add...

 

[Sam1911]

No, I don't. Because the premise is not valid. This is not a novel or realistic worry for anyone here in the US. The odds that those goons calling for attacks (like SO VERY MANY before them) actually making something happen, once, are pretty paltry. The odds of them choosing a means of attack that is something an armed citizen can handle are also not promising. The odds against any of us being on the scene if/when their threat comes to reality are astronomically low. Galactically low. (***)

So, should I carry a J-frame or a full-size? Based on those realities? C'mon ...
If you think you might want more than 5-shots ANY time you might need a gun, carry the big gun. If ISIS at the mall is your reason? You're kidding yourself.




(*** -- There are about 1,100 "malls" in the US, out of 47,000 "shopping centers." So the jihadis DO manage to plan and put into action an attack somewhere, some day this year. And let's just say they're limited to "malls" for some reason. If you went to the mall every single day of the year, and stayed there all day(!), you'd still only have a 1:1,100 chance of being in the right place when that happened. Most of us probably are in a mall about once a month. Odds just went to 1:132,000. But we don't stay all day. More like an hour out of their 10 hour open day. Odds now stand at 1:1,320,000. Now, WHERE are you in the mall when trouble goes down? Let's say you could reasonably react with a gun if you're within a 150' radius of shooting. The average mall is something like 400,000 square feet meaning you have a 1:5.66 chance of being with range. So the odds now go to 1:7,471,200. Now, the favored method has been bombs most times in the past, so that takes some number of possible attacks out of your "worry box." Can't stop a bomb with a carry gun. Let's say that makes this 1/2 again as likely to be a "gun problem." Odds: 1:14,942,400 against. And the careful observer will note just how many generous assumptions I've made along the way. For example, if we assume big malls aren't the only suitable target, and we let the number of average shopping centers stand in for a count of target-rich environments in our society, that number jumps to 1 : 6 BILLION, 384 million, 480 thousand against. The odds outweigh the stakes here by a VERY long shot.)