The Tactical Life

Off Topic Guns & Shooting Sports
4722

Thought for the day:

Meghan Hutchinson, another shooting witness, said “We were very scared and we didn’t know, like, we didn’t know what to do, what to expect from this. You know, nothing like this has ever happened here before. We barricaded in there and another parent was in the room with me. She had a phone and she called 911."

In no way am I talking shit about Ms. Hutchinson. I am truly sorry she has to have seen the slaughter. I hope she is able to recover.

How many times have I read " nothing has ever happen like this before", insert whatever location you wish.

Brutal violence can happen anywhere and against anyone. Start today taking measures to combat violence.

@twojarslave ,

Wellness check. I know you live in Maine, but, don’t know where. You and yours ok?

responder

4723

We are okay, thanks. The owner of the bar I used to work at closed down and sent everyone home as soon as he realized multiple locations were hit. It is the busiest bar in town on Wednesdays. Great decision making on his part.

I was furious at my son’s employer for not doing the same. Apparently the dipshit corporate lackey running the night crew was going to call the cops on me for parking in the lot to ensure my son’s safety. They were ordering their employees to stay inside their unsecured building.

He had the good sense to let him leave with me and we went straight home.

What a night.

4724

Glad you and your son are ok. It never ceases to amaze me the stupidity of people. Call the police because you were protecting your son? WTF , was he going to do it? What with? a beer bottle or steak knife? FUBAR.

4725

Thought for the day:

red 2

4726

They didn’t because my kid told them it was me and convinced them to let him leave with me. As this was happening there were reports of a third site being hit one mile away at the wal mart DC.

I couldn’t understand why everyone wasn’t getting the hell out, but it was probably following their company policy for an on-site active shooter. I don’t think they ever thought about how to handle a shooting spree taking place all over town.

To me getting the hell out of an unsafe potential target RIGHT NOW was the obvious choice. I was in the lot for maybe 5 minutes. They kept their employees there until 4 am.

Shooter is still on the loose. This is a very bad situation.

4727

It’s been about 36 hours since the shootings took place, and from what I understand he’s had access to a vehicle(s) and a boat. The guy is in a great place to disappear for a long while. I fear this will drag out longer than any of us initially imagined.

Edit: I know you’re aware of all this. Just adding some info to the discussion for this thread as it seems pertinent.

4728

I’m curious why the Wal-Mart DC wasn’t mentioned during the press conference yesterday morning. Something clearly happened there, I had video sent by a friend who worked there until very recently. You couldn’t make out much but it looked like the door was shot out, there was glass everywhere and a cop with a long gun standing right there with people talking about the shooter in the background.

There’s also no pictures being released from Schemengee’s, only the bowling alley. I’m not saying it couldn’t have been just one shooter, but if so he hauled ass across town.

4.2 miles between the bowling alley and Schemengee’s. 1.5 miles from Schemengee’s to the Wal-Mart DC. 2.3 miles from Wal-Mart DC to my son’s job.

It all happened really fast, which is why I wanted my boy out of there and home no matter what his dipshit boss’ marching orders were. I wasn’t going to sit at home and wait to hear if his work was hit or not when he told me on the phone he wanted to go home but his boss wouldn’t let him.

Just like our last two multiple-victim murderers here in Maine, this asshole told people what he was going to do and nobody with any level of authority believed him. Now the same people who advocate for those soft-on-crime policies and the policies that result in our public places being overrun with mentally ill drug users are beating the drum to strip us of our ability to defend against the people they insist need to be out in public.

The same people who want us unable to protect ourselves also insist that people like Marcel LaGrange was just a poor kid who needed his fifth or sixth chance and Joseph Eaton just needed his seventh chance. Then use the bad outcomes from letting these people roam society to advance the rest of their insane agenda, which started as predictably as the sunrise yesterday morning in the Sun Journal.

I can guarantee you there were a LOT of people armed with semi-automatic firearms that night, and only one of us was using it to mow people down. Big surprise, it was the guy who told the authorities he was going to go on a shooting spree a few months ago.

Un-fucking believable.

4729

I’ll have to disagree with your final point my friend. It is very fucking believable.

I’ve not heard anything beyond speculation about multiple suspects. I don’t think it’s any more likely than a single dude hauling ass through town on his own, but only a little less likely. But that’s just my own assumptions based on the information currently at hand.

I knew the anti-gun rhetoric would start up as soon as this happened, as it always does. It will likely die down soon after, as it tends to do. I hope that Maine continues to be a statistically incredibly safe place with a full set of rights in the future.

This was a friggin’ lay-up of a mental health case, and the ball was dropped on so many levels. Perhaps if we enforced the laws currently in place in our state this could have been prevented. Rather, let us pass new laws, that you and I will obey, but those who seek to harm will ignore.

I don’t want to clog this thread up with pro/anti gun rhetoric though, there’s a gun control thread or two for that.

I reached out to a friend of mine in NC that’s stationed at Bragg and asked him to send a few of his SERE buddies up to help us off-the-books. I’m certain he doesn’t have that kind of pull, but who knows, maybe there’s some Mainers down there with some PTO built up.

4730

I have no idea what actually happened. Someone does, but we’re not being told everything. There can be good reasons for that and bad reasons for that.

Our local leadership is incredibly shady and I’m not ruling out some level of cover-up. These are the agencies who recently concluded that a man walked into a local market where he did not work and accidentally severed his own arm at the shoulder with a meat cutting saw. Nothing to see here, folks.

The same authorities recently concluded that killing a helpless guy on the ground with a rock to the head isn’t murder, but a misunderstanding. In Lewiston, Maine you can kill a guy with a rock and be out of jail in under a year if the right racial optics are present.

Back on-topic, the other shitty part about this ongoing manhunt is that it is sucking up all of the police resources. Guess who is less safe while most of the law enforcement resources are busy looking for a spree killer?

Everyone. Criminals are taking advantage of the situation.

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4731

These are trying times indeed. I don’t have enough time to add more to this discussion at the moment, but, stay safe man. Things seem to be pretty calm down here at the moment, eery, but calm.

4732

That about sums it up. He’s still out there, still armed, still capable of more actions and whatever his plan was, it seems to be working.

4733

It is indeed. I don’t normally carry a pistol when I hunt, but I’m thinking it won’t hurt to have something more than the four rounds of .308 available in my rifle tomorrow morning.

4734

The coward took his own life and left the victim’s families with a life time of pain. As twojarslave and mr. v3lv3t so aptly described, this was a total meltdown from the military to the mental heath services. Leadership within any of our government branches is basically non-existent. Take the measures to protect you and yours, and, yes, carry what you need to fight, even if you are just going hunting.

4735

Interesting thread.

I don’t know how “tactical” I am but I do give some thought to self-defense, home defense and potential lockdown or bug out scenarios.

I grew up around guns in a hunting capacity, had my first 22 at 5 and proceeded to get fairly proficient with it through the scouts and free ranging squirrels or whatever. I did shoot 3 gun and occasionally still do and I enjoy long range shooting/hunting and have the requisite equipment.

I’ve played sports beginning in the nerf ball youth league age and even after official athletics ended for me have maintained strength and cardio training and feel physically prepared in general. Free climbing a cliff, an obscenely long swim or some other specialized activity would be tough but definitely in general “good shape”.

I wrestled competitively for years and did grappling in the off season (locks, bars et cetera before the Gracie’s made bjj the new Karate)

I have my 4 year old in taekwondo and joined the adult class too. It was primarily a decision to go through the belt system, practice and bond with her but it has been fun. I realize it’s not ultra practical but it does teach distance management, reading the opponents body and every other fighting nuance, while providing useful tools to cherry pick. I don’t care who you are, a well executed front or side kick to the liver, chest, ribs or face will be debilitating. The spinning stuff is impractical because most people suck at it. But I’m even it can be useful, and you’ll even see it occasionally in UFC fights, almost always a knockout. And usually pretty severe. Out cold, no crawling or flopping around.

I grew up in the Houston, Texas. Home was in a nice area but in the larger backdrop of a large city. I’ve been robbed at gun point and had enough fights as a younger guy to realize there’s a difference between suburban squabbles and winning decisively, managing to disengage and run or getting stomped severely elsewhere.

I ride a Harley and have made friends of all stripes in that crowd, and it can get wild too. And there are sooo many rules, and it doesn’t matter if you’re aware of them or not. Break them and they’re enforced. It’s weird and interesting but a marginal thing for me no interest in the hardcore life directly.

And finally we have a ranch. A large one with river frontage, wells, natural springs, a healthy cattle herd and plenty of wildlife. No greenhouse or veggie garden but would be easy enough to start one.

So in summary I’m usually carrying concealed in public, I am well aware of my homes floor plan and how to protect my family with deadly force if necessary without unnecessary engagement while our TV or whatever is robbed (it would be more like come down the wrong hall where the bedrooms are and experience a chest full of buckshot.) I feel comfortable if there’s a handsy situation against most, and I would happily bug out to the ranch and be perfectly capable of harvesting, butchering and preparing my own food out there. Beef, venison, wild pork, turkey and dove, bass and catfish…… plus a garden I would plant. And natural fruit from cactus, wild onions, various berries et cetera in the area.

All back of mind stuff for me but it’s there.

4736

Thought for the day:

When a lone assailant confronts or attacks you while in high-risk urban environments, always assume he is not alone. Your response should be based on the anticipation of dealing with at least one other assailant.

A common mistake is to focus solely on the immediate threat, neglecting the broader situation. Always assume that a “lone” attacker in their home turf is part of a larger network or, at the very least, has immediate support within their territory.

The key strategy to adopt is to assume that an assailant is not alone, even if they’re working alone. When confronted, one must always consider the possibility of a second, third, or even more unseen threats lurking nearby.

4737

Thought for the day:

Certainly worth reading:

4738

Thought for the day:

Strategic Peripheral Awareness] A heightened state of awareness by optimizing the use of peripheral vision to enhance threat detection and response time.

While central vision allows us to focus on detail, peripheral vision is designed to detect motion, thus serving as an early warning system for potential threats or changes in your environment.

Your field of vision is bifurcated into two primary categories: central vision and peripheral vision. Central vision is crucial for tasks that require detail and precision. Peripheral vision covers the rest, offering a much wider field but with less focus on detail.

Central vision provides a high level of detail and is best suited for tasks like reading, phone using and target identification. However, it covers a much smaller area than peripheral vision.

Peripheral vision excels at detecting motion and covers a broader scope, albeit at the expense of detail. What it lacks in clarity, it compensates for in its ability to detect movement and changes in light intensity, making them integral for situational awareness.

4739

Thought for the day:

red 2

4740

Thought for the day:

4741

Thought for the day:

[Self-Discipline Mastery] While equipment, intelligence, and training are unquestionably useful, it’s the internal compass of self-discipline that more navigates an operative in the field. It’s the backbone of all successful operations — every decision, every action, and even strategic inaction is governed by this invaluable trait.

It serves as the anchor of any mission, ensuring operatives can make sound judgments, maintain composure under stress, and execute plans with precision. Whether you’re in the field or navigating the complexities of daily life, mastering self-discipline is a non-negotiable skill that requires ongoing cultivation.

Discipline isn’t just about physical fitness or staying alert; it’s a holistic approach involving emotional, intellectual, and operational aspects. It’s a focus on not just on what to do but also on what not to do.