John Thompson
Republican Party of Iowa
State Central Committee Member
As our nation suffers through another tragedy of some crazy fanatic unleashing violence on a community college in Oregon I am struggling to not just jump on a partisan rant. I would prefer to talk about something that can save your life.
I doubt my commentary will do much to sway folks on guns. Although many people identify as “independent” in their world view…most people either lean to the right or lean to the wrong. Either way, you should not have to die because some nutcase is angry at the world and has a gun. Even if you champion policies that create “Gun Free Zones” or other checks that prohibit responsible people from protecting both you and them in school you should not have to die to make some suicidal person infamous.
A few days after the South Carolina church shooting I was at a fundraiser with my friend and former U.S. Senate candidate, Scott Schaben. Scott is a fellow veteran and pointed out an alarming fact. The shooter in Charleston killed nine people and injured another. He had to RELOAD FIVE TIMES. The people didn’t know to run.
I really don’t want to use this space to rail at liberals that personal safety is a personal responsibility. I will avoid harping on the fact that you are free to take your own safety for granted, but the Second Amendment prevents you from forcing others to do the same. I would prefer to instead use this space to tell you that if you find yourself in a situation with an active shooter there are some things that will help you survive.
Runners survive shootings. A layman with a handgun has trouble hitting moving targets. Even an experienced shooter has problems hitting a person from across a room when the adrenaline is up. Also, most people survive gunshot wounds. Do not freeze. Do not stop if you are shot. RUN. Run in a zig-zag pattern. If you run by a light switch you should turn it off. Anything you can do to disorient the shooter will help you and other people get out alive.
If you find yourself in a situation where somebody is killing people the worst thing you can do is cower until the pistol is placed against your temple. So again…run! Encourage others to run.
If you cannot run you should fight. Look for things around you that you can use as a weapon. Grab a pair of scissors, a pen or anything else you can use to attack the neck, face, eyes or arms. If you are an unarmed liberal you can smash the shooter over the head with your bong. The hippie store can replace your hash pipe but they cannot replace your life.
Do not wait to run because you fear police will shoot you as you flee the building. Police are trained to wait to pull the trigger until they identify threats.
You are probably only on your own for ten or fifteen minutes if you aren’t trapped in the room with the shooter. An attack should be your last option and will be more effective than pleading for your life. Feel the adrenaline and do not get discouraged. Although you are thinking in your head that all of society is at fault, you will actually only need to fight the one or two people with guns that are trying to kill you.
Hopefully I made it though without alienating anyone since I avoided a partisan rant. I should also warn Conservatives that if you die near Illinois you are likely to become the Democratic base. Stay safe and alive. God bless!
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John Thompson of Jefferson is a graduate of West Point and Harvard University. He serves on the State Central Committee for the Republican Party of Iowa. He may be contacted at John_kurt_thompson@yahoo.com via email or at “John Thompson for Iowa” on Facebook.
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