# No thanks, I'll take my chances with the psychopath. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 23, 2012, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135 "2012-07-23T14:22:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/81 "2012-07-23T17:49:33Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Not a good analogy. This case is more, if you don’t drive yourself to the hospital you are going to die. Do you start the car? I respect your opinion in this area, **Loach** , so let me ask you this: do you think the outcome would have been better if people in the theater started returning fire? ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/82 "2012-07-23T17:50:13Z")
Clearly the correct answer is to have 10-12 hand grenades on your person and scatter them liberally through the crowd. That way you’re sure to get the shooter. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/83 "2012-07-23T17:51:57Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > He’s not, but you sure as shit are. You ignore posts that call you on your bullshit and continue to spout utter nonsense. Fucking moron. I assume you’d choose to die over fighting back. Fine, the world needs fewer dildos. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/84 "2012-07-23T17:52:00Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > I’d suggest you not go to movies in crowded theaters. I’m willing to bet if you and your family were in one, and a shooter was firing, you’d be thinking “I hope someone shoots that bastard before he gets to my family.” Of course you’d be thinking that. That doesn’t mean that someone who tries to do so will actually succeed rather than making the situation worse. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/85 "2012-07-23T17:56:04Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > I agree, the chances of taking down a guy in full **balletic armor** , in a dark theater is very small, Emphasis mine. Now “balletic armor” is something i’d like to see! ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/86 "2012-07-23T17:58:45Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > I’d suggest you not go to movies in crowded theaters. I’m willing to bet if you and your family were in one, and a shooter was firing, you’d be thinking “I hope someone shoots that bastard before he gets to my family.” If I was in that situation and other people pulled out weapons and and started firing back, I’d be pissed as hell at people like you who encourage mindless shit like this in a public forum. BTW, I’ve noticed that every time your fantasy scenario is repeated you envision only one well-trained “good guy” assessing the situation and waiting until everything is just right before carefully returning fire. How is this accomplished-by having one “designated gunman” in every theatre to reduce confusion in case of a shootout? ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/87 "2012-07-23T17:58:50Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Let’s hear from former(or current) military, then. Would any of you have whipped out your weapon in a crowded smoke-filled theatre and started firing at the gunman? If there was more than one gunman firing(assuming that you were not the only one reacting), how would you decide who to shoot at? Former military checking in. In English, my job was battlefield intel collection. Basically, sneak around behind enemy lines, do some radio work, wait for battle to come and flow over my position from one direction or the other. I was well-trained and very good at my job, consistently shot 38+/40. on range day and am still a force to be reckoned with in a rifleman’s contest. How I would have handled the sitch in Aurora: 1. piddle, just a bit, in my shorts 2. hit the deck 3. finish piddling, maybe attempt to suppress gibbering 4. grab whomever I’m with and pull them to the deck if they weren’t already there. 5. play dead until prodded by law-enforcement Now if you put me in an area, tell me it’s a battlezone, and give me a weapon, I can almost certainly guarantee I won’t piddle. The rest of the process though…no promises. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/88 "2012-07-23T17:58:51Z")
> **[balletic](https://www.thefreedictionary.com/balletic)** > > Definition, Synonyms, Translations of balletic by The Free Dictionary Adj. 1. balletic - characteristic of or resembling or suitable for ballet ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/89 "2012-07-23T18:00:39Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > I assume you’d choose to die over fighting back. Fine, the world needs fewer dildos. Actually, the world could use a few more dildoes, and quite a few less assholes. ---
**Author:** ![kwimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dc4da7/32.png) [@kwimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kwimby)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/90 "2012-07-23T18:05:32Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > …if the guy is moving around the crowded theatre while firing at people,… So you imagine the shooter is strolling through the aisles while committing this atrocity? The miscreant in question was standing up in the middle of the screen, backlighted by it, firing out into the frenzied audience. It would have been an easy head shot from anywhere in the first 5 rows with anything bigger than a pocket pistol. He chose this venue because of Cinema 16’s no-guns policy and the likelihood there would be no armed opponents among his well-massed victims. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/91 "2012-07-23T18:08:01Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > If I was in that situation and other people pulled out weapons and and started firing back, I’d be pissed as hell at people like you who encourage mindless shit like this in a public forum. > BTW, I’ve noticed that every time your fantasy scenario is repeated you envision only one well-trained “good guy” assessing the situation and waiting until everything is just right before carefully returning fire. How is this accomplished-by having one “designated gunman” in every theatre to reduce confusion in case of a shootout? I think your chance of being hit by the nutcase shooter far outweighs the chance of being hit by one individual returning fire to an identified target. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/92 "2012-07-23T18:09:12Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > [Balletic - definition of balletic by The Free Dictionary](http://www.thefreedictionary.com/balletic) > Adj. 1. balletic - characteristic of or resembling or suitable for ballet That was sort of my point. Way to ruin the joke. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/93 "2012-07-23T18:10:28Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > I took a defensive driving course in high school; that’s why I’m confident I could win the Indy 500 any time I want. > [@Loach](#): > > Not a good analogy. This case is more, if you don’t drive yourself to the hospital you are going to die. Do you start the car? You lost me. But then, maybe my analogy isn’t clear. I’m equating “CCW training” to “Defensive Driving Classes” and then juxtaposing them against two situations that are so outside of what any normal schlub, like me (or most people with CCW permits) are used to, that the “training” doesn’t really mean shit. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/94 "2012-07-23T18:11:53Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > I think your chance of being hit by the nutcase shooter far outweighs the chance of being hit by one individual returning fire to an identified target. How do you know the individual is returning fire and not simply an accomplice covering for a partner? As I noted above, if I saw a guy nearby pulling a gun, my first reaction (if I was close enough) would be to attempt to tackle him and secure the weapon myself. In that situation, you can trust your friends, family, and yourself. It is more than reasonable to treat any other person, especially armed, as a potential threat. > [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > I’m equating “CCW training” to “Defensive Driving Classes” and then juxtaposing them against two situations that are so outside of what any normal schlub, like me (or most people with CCW permits) are used to, that the “training” doesn’t really mean shit. No kidding. As noted above, I would hardly trust the vast majority of people with CHLs in Texas to do more than hit the broad side of a barn. Actually, it’s easier to take the inverse. If you are so bad as to fail the practical portion of a CHL, you shouldn’t be trusted with owning a weapon, much less carrying it around, concealed or not. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/95 "2012-07-23T18:12:04Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Actually, the world could use a few more dildoes, and quite a few less assholes. I pretty much wrote you and your opinion off as nothing more than twaddle when you posted this. \*\* Czarcasm\*\* did say “_The National Enquirer is currently known for getting their stories straight._” [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15264486&postcount=81](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15264486&postcount=81) ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/96 "2012-07-23T18:12:18Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > …and quite a few less assholes. _Quite a bit fewer_, actually, if you insist on using this syntax. And even then, you’d end up with a world full of didloes and pussies–what do you think would happen then? ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/97 "2012-07-23T18:13:53Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > How do you know the individual is returning fire and not simply an accomplice covering for a partner? > > As I noted above, if I saw a guy nearby pulling a gun, my first reaction (if I was close enough) would be to attempt to tackle him and secure the weapon myself. > > In that situation, you can trust your friends, family, and yourself. It is more than reasonable to treat any other person, especially armed, as a potential threat. I would hope he wasn’t an off duty cop. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/98 "2012-07-23T18:16:31Z")
> [@kwimby](#): > > So you imagine the shooter is strolling through the aisles while committing this atrocity? > > The miscreant in question was standing up in the middle of the screen, backlighted by it, firing out into the frenzied audience. **It would have been an easy head shot from anywhere in the first 5 rows with anything bigger than a pocket pistol.** (bolding mine)My ghod-what CCW course taught you crap like that? ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/99 "2012-07-23T18:19:24Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > I would hope he wasn’t an off duty cop. Me, too. I would also hope he’s not a bad guy. So, what’s your point? Make the assumption he’s a good guy trying to resolve the situation and leave my family and myself at potential risk from an obviously armed man? I’m not going to be asking for ID in that situation, after all. > [@Czarcasm](#): > > (bolding mine)My ghod-what CCW course taught you crap like that? What I said about the poor training in Texas above is apt here. For one CHL renewal class I took, the instructor taught the class (sotto voce) to practice 3 shots. Two center mass and one to the head as quick as possible. With all that adrenaline, I’m not sure if even center mass would be viable from even 5 yards out. Even under controlled situations at gun ranges, I’ve seen otherwise very good shooters miss, especially when they were trying to shoot too fast. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135/100 "2012-07-23T18:22:21Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > I pretty much wrote you and your opinion off as nothing more than twaddle when you posted this. > > \*\* Czarcasm\*\* did say “_The National Enquirer is currently known for getting their stories straight._” > > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15264486&postcount=81](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=15264486&postcount=81) Which was followed by this: > [@Mint Julep's Mexico Story](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mint-juleps-mexico-story/627934/82): > > Surely you jest. > And Williams is on my Death List, and TNE reported him to be dying last week with his family around him. Apparently he is still performing. 🙂 Well, guess what: > [@Wiki](#): > > On July 14, 2012, Andy Williams left hospital as the cancer had spread across his body and returned home to Branson, Missouri to enjoy the rest of his life peacefully. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-thanks-ill-take-my-chances-with-the-psychopath/629135.md?page=6)