Virginia tech: Was it possible to attack the shooter during clip-exchange?

Question

I don't know about the gun. How long does it take for an average shooter to exchange the the clip? (his gun was Glock 9mm) I am asking this for self-defense purpose.

As someone cricized my intention, I have to add this. I am not accusing any victim. I cannot believe that someone took my question in that way.
I am a current student in New York City, and have to go to class everyday. And what's wrong with mentally preparing for the worst case senario, by thining "what if I was in that situation? What would I do?". Didn't you ever wonder "what if I was on the hijacked air plane??" I have to add, if any self-defense is possible, that measure may save other's life too. Of course, it would be extremely rare that this happens. But mental preparation gives you sort of phychological stability.

Again, I cannot believe someone accuse me of attacking victim. I clearly stated that the question is for the porpose of self-defense.

Answer 1

You know, of all of the questions I have seen on Yahoo! Answers - and I've seen a lot - this is one of the most inappropriate.

Your message appears to be that you think the students and faculty of a college should have acted differently, that in a very short span of time while a hundred or more bullets were flying by, killing thirty people they should have put on a hero helmet and tackled a deranged gunman.

I sincerely hope you remove this question, and that you spend a long time rethinking the way you interact with others.

This question is wrong. Just plain wrong.

Shame on you.

Answer 2

I own 3 Glocks similar to the ones used in those murders, and it takes me at least 5 seconds to drop a clip, insert another, pull the slide, and acquire another target. I doubt the killer was as good as I am with guns, so it probably would have taken him twice that long, so yes, while he was reloading he was vulnerable for long enough to be tackled had someone there had the courage to do so, at which point others should have piled on to pin him so he could kill no more. At the very least the victims should have scattered instead of lining up to be easy targets.
No, I'm not blaming the victims, but I refuse to be a victim and if I am ever in that situation things will be different for the killer. Virginia Tech is partially responsible for the killings because their administration would not allow people with concealed carry permits to have guns there that they could have used to stop the murderer. Gun control laws make decent people easy targets.

Answer 3

I don't know the average time, but I had a conversation about this with a former marine just yesterday, in the context of a class about disarming a gunman as an unarmed person. There were others in the group with firearms expertise. The consensus was that yes, there was time to rush the shooter while he was exchanging magazines. But, unless one has had training on how to deal with this sort of situation chances are if you are caught in this sort of scenario, you'll be trying to save yourself. Excepting of course the valiant prof. who held the door so his students could escape, and died doing so.

A horrible, tragic thing. I live within a very short drive of the Tech campus, and I work in one of the hospitals that got some of the victims. I've been grieving all week, and I didn't even know any of the victims.

Answer 4

If he was proficient in the use of the 9mm, no one would have been able to reach him before he chambered another round. It would have been suicide to attempt such a thing. Glock is only the manufacturer of the hand gun, but it is a well made piece. It would take only seconds to eject the empty clip and insert a full one. Besides in that kind of situation peoples's first reaction is saving themselves. Only somebody trained in that kind of maneuver would have had even the smallest chance.

Answer 5

definite, i imagine the media must have shown the video of Cho Seung Hui. i do not imagine showing Cho Seung-Hui's video via the media is glorifying his moves. after I stated on television that 33 human beings were killed in a mass capturing at Virginia Tech college, the first element that got here to my recommendations replaced into, how ought to someone do something so terrible. i imagine that query replaced into replied even as NBC and different media stations confirmed the video of Cho. the showing of the video truly confirmed how disturbed Cho replaced into. He replaced right into a delusional guy, who favor help. I also do not accept as true with the undeniable fact that the video will on the spot copycat killers because to my recollection, there replaced into no video of the Columbine shooters. yet there have been different college shootings after the the Columbine shootings. the base line is that there are disturbed human beings obtainable and in the adventure that they'll commit mass murders, seeing the video of Cho could no longer replace something, except(and it truly is what truly concerns me) taking into consideration a fashion to out do what Cho has carried out.

Answer 6

a question is a question is a question and yours is one. technically my answer is "I do not know"--since i do not deal with pistols and shooting etc. But, logically and not emotionally I would like to think that people responsible to study the whole series of the event -- should be able to tell whether or not there was time to act! In the 9/11 incident -- no comparison but people in the plane heading for Washington did act! Psychologically you need a man/woman with a quick response mechanism to seize the less than one second split to act -- not to be a hero but to act whether to save his life or others' lives...This is my thinking but as for acting -- you have to be in the same situation to know whether your body will react to your mind's orders! Hope it helps.

Answer 7

Yes It Was But People Don't Think Right That Moment Everything Is Happening!

Answer 8

I doubt it would have been possible to jump him while he was swapping clips as from what I've heard from the reports he was that he had great marksmanship so it would have been hard. Although no one should blame the victims or the bystanders for not trying as it is easy for us to judge people when we have no idea of the circumstances they were in.

Answer 9

He had two guns. He might have kept a few rounds in the chamber and clip in one gun while he loaded the other.

Answer 10

It's impossible to tell what could have been done at this point. I believe that everyone acted as best they could in the situation they were forced into.