Don't Be A Number

There are a lot of numbers floating around from the tragedy at the Jason Aldean concert in Las Vegas.

59 dead (so far),

more than 500 injured,

15 minutes of lead rain,

22,000 attendees in the open air arena,

32nd second floor of Mandalay Bay,

2 windows broken out of suite 32135,

64 year old shooter, aka Dickless Wonder,

33 weapons found in the hotel room,

distance from window to concert:  400 yards downhill,

time of flight for a 55gr .223 rem bullet:  1/5 to 1/8 of a second,

bullet drop for that round: 32 inches.

Speed of sound that distance:  1/3 second,

Dead among the debris 

 Will this force promoters to cover outdoor venues to protect against snipers?  Maybe, but what good would it do?  Dickless wasn’t aiming at individual people; he was just throwing rounds in to the crowd.  An opaque plastic sheet or canvas cover would have made no difference.

Having a handgun at the event would have made no difference.  I don’t think anyone could have lobbed any handgun round 400 yards uphill and gotten them into the window, much less into Dickless.  Oh, you meant a rifle! 

Really, you were going to walk around at an event with a scoped rifle and ammo.  Hell man, I’d be writing about you in jail right now!  400 yards at night?  I don’t think you could have made a hit. 

I’ll buy a box of .223 ammo or 5.56X45 for anyone who can send me a certified video of a self-supporting, cold bore shot with an AR type rifle hitting a 2 by 4 foot sheet of plywood 400 yards away and elevated 250 ft up on the first shot, at night. 

No, you would have been another Dickless Wonder throwing rounds at helpless people.

So what do we do?  Answer: Escape, evade, preserve.

Carry an emergency first aid kit:  combat gauze, tourniquet, tape. You may need it for yourself or the person next to you.  Can you stuff a wound?  Do you know how to use that tourniquet?  There are classes and people who can help.

Know where the emergency exits are.  Especially pay attention to the doors marked “Staff Only,”  “No Admittance,” “Authorized Personal Only,” and “Kitchen.”   Even the ones that say “Entrance only” “Alarm will Sound,”and” Reserved for Handicap” can serve as an escape.

Do you have a flashlight?  Not your cell phone screen, but a real honest-to-God flashlight that can illuminate a door or hallway 40 feet way?  You could see what everyone else is missing and get out.

Of course you should be armed.  You never know what you’ll run into outside.  Make sure you have a blade.

Carry a phone, credit card, cash and driver’s license as well as your CCW permit.  You might need to rent another room, pay a cab driver, or communicate with friends and family.

Arrange to meet at a major landmark, should your party become separated.  That’s damn easy in Vegas; the town is full of them.

Dress to blend in at the event.  Long pants, shirt with sleeves (yeah, you can roll them up), shoes that protect the feet and allow you to walk a mile to safety over broken glass and metal. 

Stay sober!

Act immediately.

Keep your wits about you.  When you arrive anywhere, identify what is bulletproof and what is just invisibility.  Locate the nearest exits and make a plan.

You get the message, I hope.  You’re responsible for your own immediate salvation.  Don’t be a number.