You are a good guy with a gun. You are in a crowded area and you hear gunshots. You hear people screaming; you see chaos unfolding. You hear more gunshots and more screaming; you see more chaos. You see blood and bodies. You see people falling down. You see people running. You see people hiding. But you're not running, and you're not hiding. You're a good guy with a gun. It's your duty to get the bad guy with a gun.
You survey the situation. You locate the shooter. He's within range. His back is to you. Your weapon is drawn. He's turning toward you! What do you do? You have a split-second to decide -- less time than it took you to read this sentence. Do you pull the trigger?
If no, then you're about to die and so will many more after you. If yes, then you just shot another good guy with a gun who had already shot the bad guy with a gun -- you killed your brethren. You killed a hero. But it's not your fault -- is it? It's an impossible decision. All the firearm training in the world does not -- cannot -- prepare you for this moment. A gun isn't enough; you also need ESP.
And are you even that good a shot? Have you ever been in a high-stress combat situation? This isn't shooting paper at the range. Do you know what adrenaline does to your motor skills, to your eye-hand coordination? Do your muscles have any memory for this at all? Because you can't practice this; you can't simulate these stakes.
What if you miss? Once, and the bullet probably lodges harmlessly into an inanimate object. But what if you miss twice, three times, four times -- how big is your clip? And where did that bad guy go? And is he even a bad guy at all? Chaos is still happening around you. People are still dropping around you. Are they ducking for cover? Or are they shot? And by whose bullets? Are you now doing the bad guy's work for him? And is he even a bad guy at all?
Now the police are here. Your gun is drawn. What are they to think? What do you look like holding a gun in the middle of a mass shooting? Better hope they're better with the Zener cards than you are. Better hope you don't look threatening (although, keep in mind, you are holding a gun in the middle of a mass shooting). If you're a woman, you might have a chance. If you're a man, probably not. If you're a dark-skinned man, definitely not. If only you had remembered to wear your "good guy" hat when you left the house this morning. You are usually so diligent -- of all the days to forget!
Are you wondering if you should have run? Are you wondering if you should have hid? Are you wondering if you just made things worse? Do you still even feel like a good guy with a gun? Or do you feel like a confused human being in a desperate situation, who doesn't know what to do -- just like everybody else around you?
You survey the situation. You locate the shooter. He's within range. His back is to you. Your weapon is drawn. He's turning toward you! What do you do? You have a split-second to decide -- less time than it took you to read this sentence. Do you pull the trigger?
If no, then you're about to die and so will many more after you. If yes, then you just shot another good guy with a gun who had already shot the bad guy with a gun -- you killed your brethren. You killed a hero. But it's not your fault -- is it? It's an impossible decision. All the firearm training in the world does not -- cannot -- prepare you for this moment. A gun isn't enough; you also need ESP.
And are you even that good a shot? Have you ever been in a high-stress combat situation? This isn't shooting paper at the range. Do you know what adrenaline does to your motor skills, to your eye-hand coordination? Do your muscles have any memory for this at all? Because you can't practice this; you can't simulate these stakes.
What if you miss? Once, and the bullet probably lodges harmlessly into an inanimate object. But what if you miss twice, three times, four times -- how big is your clip? And where did that bad guy go? And is he even a bad guy at all? Chaos is still happening around you. People are still dropping around you. Are they ducking for cover? Or are they shot? And by whose bullets? Are you now doing the bad guy's work for him? And is he even a bad guy at all?
Now the police are here. Your gun is drawn. What are they to think? What do you look like holding a gun in the middle of a mass shooting? Better hope they're better with the Zener cards than you are. Better hope you don't look threatening (although, keep in mind, you are holding a gun in the middle of a mass shooting). If you're a woman, you might have a chance. If you're a man, probably not. If you're a dark-skinned man, definitely not. If only you had remembered to wear your "good guy" hat when you left the house this morning. You are usually so diligent -- of all the days to forget!
Are you wondering if you should have run? Are you wondering if you should have hid? Are you wondering if you just made things worse? Do you still even feel like a good guy with a gun? Or do you feel like a confused human being in a desperate situation, who doesn't know what to do -- just like everybody else around you?
No comments:
Post a Comment