(Video courtesy of CBS News)
Evidently there was a gunfight in Toledo, Ohio on October 8th.
According to the police (as reported by CBS), there were five gunmen involved in a fight. The fight was evidently sparked when the barman asked a patron selling marijuana to leave.
I’ve made a few observations:
- Security cameras always seem to produce video inadequate to identify people depicted in the image.
- The barman rapidly produces his cellphone, presumably to call the police, after the first fight starts.
- Many people fled immediately. This is smart.
- Some people remained to engage in a gun battle. This is stupid, particularly if the police are on the way.
- Running back into the building to engage in further gun battle is really stupid.
- There were no observable weapon malfunctions. Whether this is due to regular maintenance by the gunmen, luck, or some other condition is unknown.
- It is illegal for people to carry firearms in establishments that serve alcohol in Ohio. They did so anyway. Clearly, criminals are not deterred by nor do they obey such laws.
- If you wish to hit your target, aiming is important. These individuals did not aim well.
- Very few objects in a bar offer cover, rather than concealment.
- All participants in the gunfight used semi-auto pistols, rather than revolvers. According to the police, 17 casings were found at the scene. This is a substantial amount of evidence for police.
Based on these observations, I’ll be bold enough to make? a few recommendations:
- Avoid gunfights wherever possible.
- This can usually be accomplished by staying out of seedy places and staying away from seedy people.
- You should be aware of the mood in a bar. If things start getting tense, seriously consider leaving.
- Once things go tits-up (e.g. a fight starts), it’s time to leave. Now.
- If, for some reason, you decide to stick around after the barfight, be aware of patrons drawing guns. Once this happens, there is no possible way that the situation will improve. Get out. Now.
- Gunfights are like fires: you should flee in the most expedient manner possible and remain out of harms way. I can’t think of a single reason why an everyday person should ever consider returning to a gunfight. You should absolutely not, under any circumstances, return to the gunfight to continue fighting.
- If you are deploying security cameras, get good ones. High-quality video and sound recording is very useful.
- If it is necessary to call 911, it’s preferably to do so from a landline phone. This has the advantage of immediately displaying the exact address of the phone that placed the call, which can speed police response considerably.
- Violent criminals do not obey the law, and violent crime can occur anywhere.
- If you are willing and able to carry in a safe and responsible manner, do so. While fleeing to safety is almost always the best thing to do (and fortunately seemed to be possible for every innocent bystander in this incident), it’s not always possible — a gun can give one a fighting chance of surviving and escaping if left with no other option.
Of course, the best advice of all is to simply avoid fights and, by extension, gunfights.