My purpose is not to offend anyone, but I often think that if I were in a sitution similar to what happened in Virginia Tech this morning how I would react. It seems hard to believe so many people were unable to stop a lone gunman before he killed dozens of people. I realize in the heat of the moment you may not have time to think, but I would certiantly risk my life in stopping someone in a similar circumstance. Our fear of firearms due to mass media had some role to play I'm sure, but I'm not here to judge.
I would like to know however how you would honestly respond if it happened to you?
2007-04-16 09:42:20 · 34 answers · asked by Diamond24 5 in Entertainment & Music ➔ Polls & Surveys
I'm very impressed with everyones answers so far, except for a few jack asses, you are all right in your own way. I suppose as an avid firearms owner/user I have a different perspective.
2007-04-16 10:05:10 · update #1
I've been shot at and I've been shot.
You're very right, under fire, you don't have time to think, you just act. That being said, after many years in the military, I was trained to react. Students in University don't have any idea on how to react. I don't blame anyone for hiding. There's not a whole lot more they could do.
Keep in mind the population there. American University is VERY expensive. Not the kind of expensive that is covered by part time jobs or anything like that. Majority is scholorship or paid for by the folks. I don't want to paint all with the same brush but lets fact it folks, that's how allot of people get education these days. Any way, most of these people don't come from a background where stopping this guy would be something they'd even think of.
It takes a very different kind of person to think of how to stop this guy. Personall, I know that school walls have fire extinguisher's all over the place. And I also know those things burn very badly and you can't see a bloody thing when in the cloud. I'd grab one or two, spray him and beat him sensless with the other it. But as I said, I'm trained to deal with the stresses of dealing with death and killing. Students aren't.
NO ONE can say "I'd stop him if I had the chance" As I've seen, it's the same people who said they'd do something the last time this happened that were the ones crying with wet pants this time.
2007-04-16 09:52:18 · answer #1 · answered by Dr. E. Bunny A.K.A. Andy. 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The thing is that no body was warned. a person was killed at 7:00 this morning all the way across the campus from the next shooting and no one was informed of it until 2+ hrs later and there was no mention of closing down the schools or if the guy has been caught or anything. I agree, I would have tried to do something and I'm sure fear was a factor at that time. But the school was very irresponsible in the fact that no one was told of the incident and no one was warned and the school was not shut down. It's pathetic that 30 ppl were killed before affirmative action was taken in order to do anything. It's ridiculous and the school should get into some major trouble over this.
2007-04-16 09:49:52 · answer #2 · answered by Sally Doll 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it is hard to say what you would do in a situation involving life or death when the time comes and you are in the middle of a situation like that where people are in danger and a man has a gun
I personally believe that you can not say what you would do until you are there in the moment
too many people say they would have acted but I'm sure if you had asked the people that were there a month ago about the situation they believe they also would have acted in the situation also
everybody thinks they can be a hero but only a few can really live up to when the time comes
2007-04-16 09:56:08 · answer #3 · answered by Matt 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If faced with a life or death situation, if there was any way to protect my family or friends, I would (go back into the burning building to search for them, throw myself over them to take the bullets myself...) However, if it was just a stranger with a gun, and his target was someone I didn't know, to tell the truth, I would want to help the person, but I don't think I'd honestly have the courage to do so.
2007-04-16 09:48:06 · answer #4 · answered by Caroline 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
In all honesty? I want to say that I would be strong and protect my friends, that I would try to defend them from harm and take one for the team... But in reality I know I would be so scared that I probably wouldn't do that. And I can't honestly answer this question and say what i would do because i don't know. Its easy to say that I would run, or hide, or scream....but when you are faced with something of that nature, you never know what you could do. So.... I don't know how i would respond if it happened to me. But lets hope I never really truly have to find out.
2007-04-16 09:49:26 · answer #5 · answered by cochrane_babe 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
None of us can say how we would react. Everything changes when it is happening to you or you are in the midst of it. We can say that we would have our wits about us but truly you don't know how you would act until faced with the situation and many times things feel like they happen so quickly that you don't have time to react or you are in shock so you cannot think properly. So I don't know how I would react and I hope I never have to find out.
2007-04-16 09:48:47 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
IT is difficult to predict what we might do in a situation like that. I would like to maybe find a way to reason with the person, at least come to his level for a minute and get him in a moment of weakness so that maybe someone else could take him by surprise and free him of the gun. I don't know...
2007-04-16 09:46:25 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Obviously, you don't know how you will react until you are in this kind of situation... it's easy to say I would have grabbed him and fought for the gun, but when someone is blasting away at anything that moves you never know what might happen... you might freeze and be totally helpless...
2007-04-16 09:47:07 · answer #8 · answered by Fred Phaggins 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
i would like to think i would have done something, but that is a situation i can't anticipate how i would act. so many factors change how or if i could/would act -- i just hope and pray i would be able to do something i wouldn't want to die without trying. i pray for those families in Virginia...so very sad
2007-04-17 04:11:46 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's easy to sit and think "i'd try to take him out" if you were in that situation, if you've never been in it. Let me tell you. As someone who has been held at gunpoint, your thought process changes completely.
You would be amazed at how selfish and cowardly people around you can be when they are trying to save their own skin. Its sad and it's scary. I wish people were braver but such is not the case. My condolences to the families of those at VT.
2007-04-16 09:49:18 · answer #10 · answered by Hollywood 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋